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Gerney, Arkadi, Chelsea Parsons and Charles Posner. 2013 ‘America Under the Gun - Crime-gun Export Rates in 2009.’ Center for American Progress; Table 10, p. 23. Washington, DC: Center for American Progress (CAP). 1 April

Relevant contents

Crime-gun Export Rates in 2009

When guns are recovered at a crime scene, local law enforcement can reach out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or ATF, for assistance in tracing the guns to determine the first point of sale and the first purchaser. In conducting such traces, ATF can identify the state in which the gun was first sold and thereby determine whether the gun crossed state lines before being used in a crime. In 2009, 30 percent of guns traced by ATF had crossed state lines before being recovered at a crime scene.(23)

The movement of crime guns across state lines undermines local attempts to curb gun violence and protect public safety. A study conducted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns analyzing ATF tracing data found that in 2009, 10 states supplied nearly half of the crime guns that had crossed state lines.(24) Controlling for population, the top 10 states for crime-gun exports had an export rate of almost double the national average and more than three times the average rate of the 10 states with the lowest export rates.(25)

Table 10: Crime-gun Export Rate, 2009(26)

National average: 14.1 per 100,000

Rank: State - Crime guns exported - Rate per 100,000 [population]

5: Alabama - 1,561 - 33.2
4: Alaska - 233 - 33.4
13: Arizona - 1,637 - 24.8
11: Arkansas - 769 - 26.6
46: California - 1,772 - 4.8
32: Colorado - 690 - 13.7
41: Connecticut - 243 - 6.9
23: Delaware - 164 - 18.5
29: Florida - 2,640 - 14.2
10: Georgia - 2,781 - 28.3
50: Hawaii - 30 - 2.3
18: Idaho - 298 - 19.3
43: Illinois - 844 - 6.5
8: Indiana - 2,011 - 31.3
38: Iowa - 288 - 9.6
21: Kansas - 531 - 18.8
3: Kentucky - 1,504 - 34.9
15: Louisiana - 1,065 - 23.7
25: Maine - 223 - 16.9
33: Maryland - 681 - 11.9
47: Massachusetts - 239 - 3.6
41: Michigan - 684 - 6.9
45: Minnesota - 319 - 6.1
1: Mississippi - 1,485 - 50.3
36: Missouri - 598 - 10.0
14: Montana - 236 - 24.2
40: Nebraska - 157 - 8.7
9: Nevada - 808 - 30.6
24: New Hampshire - 242 - 18.3
48: New Jersey - 242 - 2.8
17: New Mexico - 437 - 21.7
49: New York - 517 - 2.6
20: North Carolina - 1,775 - 18.9
35: North Dakota - 71 - 11.0
27: Ohio - 1,806 - 15.6
19: Oklahoma - 699 - 19.0
25: Oregon - 645 - 16.9
30: Pennsylvania - 1,777 - 14.1
44: Rhode Island - 66 - 6.3
6: South Carolina - 1,504 - 33.0
28: South Dakota - 120 - 14.8
22: Tennessee - 1,171 - 18.6
39: Texas - 2,240 - 9.0
31: Utah - 384 - 13.8
16: Vermont - 142 - 22.8
7: Virginia - 2,557 - 32.4
33: Washington - 794 - 11.9
2: West Virginia - 852 - 46.8
36: Wisconsin - 569 - 10.0
12: Wyoming - 141 - 25.9

By Rank: State - Crime guns exported - Rate per 100,000

1: Mississippi - 1,485 - 50.3
2: West Virginia - 852 - 46.8
3: Kentucky - 1,504 - 34.9
4: Alaska - 233 - 33.4
5: Alabama - 1,561 - 33.2
6: South Carolina - 1,504 - 33.0
7: Virginia - 2,557 - 32.4
8: Indiana - 2,011 - 31.3
9: Nevada - 808 - 30.6
10: Georgia - 2,781 - 28.3
11: Arkansas - 769 - 26.6
12: Wyoming - 141 - 25.9
13: Arizona - 1,637 - 24.8
14: Montana - 236 - 24.2
15: Louisiana - 1,065 - 23.7
16: Vermont - 142 - 22.8
17: New Mexico - 437 - 21.7
18: Idaho - 298 - 19.3
19: Oklahoma - 699 - 19.0
20: North Carolina - 1,775 - 18.9
21: Kansas - 531 - 18.8
22: Tennessee - 1,171 - 18.6
23: Delaware - 164 - 18.5
24: New Hampshire - 242 - 18.3
25: Maine - 223 - 16.9
25: Oregon - 645 - 16.9
27: Ohio - 1,806 - 15.6
28: South Dakota - 120 - 14.8
29: Florida - 2,640 - 14.2
30: Pennsylvania - 1,777 - 14.1
31: Utah - 384 - 13.8
32: Colorado - 690 - 13.7
33: Maryland - 681 - 11.9
33: Washington - 794 - 11.9
35: North Dakota - 71 - 11.0
36: Missouri - 598 - 10.0
36: Wisconsin - 569 - 10.0
38: Iowa - 288 - 9.6
39: Texas - 2,240 - 9.0
40: Nebraska - 157 - 8.7
41: Connecticut - 243 - 6.9
41: Michigan - 684 - 6.9
43: Illinois - 844 - 6.5
44: Rhode Island - 66 - 6.3
45: Minnesota - 319 - 6.1
46: California - 1,772 - 4.8
47: Massachusetts - 239 - 3.6
48: New Jersey - 242 - 2.8
49: New York - 517 - 2.6
50: Hawaii - 30 - 2.3

Source: Mayors Against Illegal Guns, "Trace the Guns 2010," available at http://www.tracetheguns.org/ (last accessed February 2013).

Endnotes:

23) Mayors Against Illegal Guns, "Trace the Guns: The Link Between Gun Law and Interstate Gun Trafficking" (2010), available at http://tracetheguns.org/report.pdf, p.4.

24) Ibid, p. 5.

25) Ibid, p. 6.

26) Mayors Against Illegal Guns, "Trace the Guns."

ID: Q8317

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