Data Source: Firearms Tracing System
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Contents
- ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
- Table: Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in North Carolina in Calendar Year 2023
- Table: Firearm Types with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Age of Possessors for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Table: Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
ATF Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer
Firearm traces are designed to assist law enforcement authorities in conducting investigations by tracking the sale and possession of specific firearms. Law enforcement agencies may request firearms traces for any investigative reason, and those reasons are not necessarily reported to the federal government. Not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime.
Firearms selected for tracing are not chosen for purposes of determining which types, makes or models of firearms are used for illicit purposes. The firearms selected do not constitute a random sample and should not be considered representative of the larger universe of all firearms used by criminals, or any subset of that universe. Firearms are normally traced to the first retail seller, and sources reported for firearms traced do not necessarily represent the sources or methods by which firearms in general are acquired for use in crime.
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced in North Carolina in Calendar Year 2023
Firearm Types with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Pistols | 20,816 |
|---|---|
| Rifles | 2,867 |
| Revolvers | 1,854 |
| Shotguns | 1,547 |
| Machinegun Conversion Devices | 128 |
| Derringers | 109 |
| Other* | 99 |
* Other includes Machineguns, Receivers/Frames, Unknown Types, Silencers, Combinations, Any Other Weapons and a Flare Gun.
Top Calibers Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| 9mm | 13,049 |
|---|---|
| .40 Cal | 2,564 |
| .22 Cal | 1,869 |
| .380 Cal | 1,675 |
| .45 Cal | 1,448 |
| 12GA | 1,226 |
| .38 Cal | 816 |
| 5.56mm | 749 |
| 7.62mm | 574 |
| .357 Cal | 428 |
NOTE: There were 2,765 additional traces that were associated with other calibers. There were 257 traces with an unknown caliber.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Possession of Weapon | 9,508 |
|---|---|
| Firearm Under Investigation | 4,437 |
| Carrying Concealed Weapon | 2,954 |
| Found Firearm | 2,658 |
| Dangerous Drugs | 1,326 |
| Family Offense | 929 |
| Weapon Offense | 825 |
| Property Crimes | 811 |
| Aggravated Assault | 749 |
| Homicide | 653 |
NOTE: There were 2,570 additional traces that were associated with other categories.
Top 15 Source States for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| North Carolina | 18,080 |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1,322 |
| Virginia | 851 |
| Georgia | 517 |
| Florida | 371 |
| Texas | 225 |
| Tennessee | 177 |
| Ohio | 157 |
| West Virginia | 122 |
| Alabama | 117 |
| Kentucky | 106 |
| Pennsylvania | 104 |
| Mississippi | 72 |
| Arizona | 68 |
| Indiana | 65 |
NOTE: An additional 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico accounted for 781 other traces. The source state was identified in 23,135 total traces.
Time-To-Crime Rates for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Under 3 Months | 2,576 |
|---|---|
| 3 Months to Under 7 Months | 1,993 |
| 7 Months to Under 1 Year | 1,660 |
| 1 Year to Under 2 Years | 3,418 |
| 2 Years to Under 3 Years | 3,103 |
| 3 Years and Over | 10,180 |
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 North Carolina Average Time-to-Crime: 5.75 Years
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 National Average Time-to-Crime: 6.76 Years
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| 17 and Under | 879 |
|---|---|
| 18 to 21 | 3,146 |
| 22 to 24 | 2,505 |
| 25 to 30 | 3,794 |
| 31 to 40 | 4,297 |
| 41 to 50 | 2,058 |
| Over 50 | 2,043 |
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 North Carolina Average Age of Possessor: 33 Years
1/1/2023-12/31/2023 National Average Age of Possessor: 35 Years
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
| Charlotte | 4,561 |
|---|---|
| Greensboro | 1,874 |
| Winston-Salem | 1,571 |
| Raleigh | 1,481 |
| Durham | 924 |
| Greenville | 849 |
| Wilmington | 720 |
| Statesville | 551 |
| High Point | 523 |
| Rocky Mount | 482 |
NOTE: There were 517 additional municipalities that accounted for 13,871 other traces. The recovery city could not be determined for 13 traces.
Analytical Criteria Used to Compile the Enclosed Statistics
Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced
- Includes traces with a recovery state of North Carolina. Traces in which the recovery state was not provided were included when the requesting agency state was equal to North Carolina.
- Includes Firearms Recovered and Traced between 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2023 or, if the recovery date was blank, firearms with trace entry dates between 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2023.
- Duplicate traces, Firearms Not Recovered, Gun Buyback and Firearms Turned In are not included in this figure.
- Data was extracted from the Firearms Tracing System (FTS) on April 10, 2024.
- All traces may not have been submitted or completed at the time of this study.
Firearm Types and Calibers with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Categories Reported on Firearm Traces with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
Top Source States for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser and the state in which the final dealer is located.
Time-to-Crime Rates for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Traces must identify a purchaser.
- Time-to-Crime was calculated for those traces in which the purchase date could be subtracted from the recovery date.
Age of Possessors for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces that provide a possessor and the possessor’s date of birth.
- Possessor’s age is calculated by subtracting the possessor’s date of birth from the recovery date.
Top Recovery Cities for Firearms with a North Carolina Recovery
- Includes same criteria as Total Number of Firearms Recovered and Traced.
- Includes traces with a recovery city or, if the recovery city was not provided, traces requested by agencies with jurisdiction only within that city.