The ATF traced 5,891 firearms in Alabama in 2014. The vast majority, 3,579, were pistols and linked to possession of weapon and firearm under investigation charges.
Alabama has lax firearm regulations. 3,561 guns eventually linked to crime originated from within the state, while neighboring Georgia and Mississippi were the largest outside sources.
The ATF traced 714 firearms in Alaska in 2014. A little over half (434) of the firearms traced in Alaska came from within the state, though a sizable proportion came from Texas, California, and Washington.
Alaska has the most gun-related deaths of any state, with nearly 20 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people — more than twice the national rate. Most, however, were suicides.
The ATF traced 7,610 firearms in Arizona in 2014. Of those, 2,686 firearms were recovered from Phoenix alone.
The majority were pistols and came from within the state, though a sizeable portion came from California, Texas, and neighboring New Mexico.
912 traced guns were linked to drug crimes, the second highest category, owing to Arizona's proximity to the cartel lands of northern Mexico.
The ATF traced 933 guns in Arkansas in 2014. Just under half were pistols, and the majority of firearms came from within the state.
From outside the state, most guns came from Texas and Florida, though a significant amount came from neighboring states Missouri and Oklahoma.
Arkansas is the third most heavily armed state, with 41.6 guns for every 100,000 people, according to CBS.
The ATF traced an astounding 34,890 firearms in California alone in 2014. Pistols were the largest group, followed by rifles and revolvers. Los Angeles accounted for the largest proportion with 4,864 recoveries, followed by Sacramento and Oakland.
Though California is a major exporter of crime guns, just under half of California's firearms traces originated within the state. Most outside guns came from New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas.
In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting on December 2nd, expect California's gun regulations to come under increased scrutiny.
The ATF traced 3,389 firearms in Colorado in 2014. 1,919 of the traced firearms were pistols. Just over half of the firearms traced in Colorado came from within the state. California, Texas, and Florida were the top three outside sources.
Colorado is no stranger to high-profile mass shootings.
In 1999, 13 people were killed at Columbine High School. In 2012, James Holmes murdered 12 people in a movie theater armed with a shotgun, rifle, and a pistol.
And last November, Robert Lewis Dear killed three people in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.
The ATF traced 1,830 firearms in Connecticut in 2014.
A significant portion of traces, 435, were receivers/frames, which are essentially stripped-down guns, and not technically considered firearms by US federal law. Receivers up to 80% complete and may be bought and sold freely as a way to skirt gun regulations, though the buyer needs to complete the remaining build themselves.
Though Connecticut has a relatively low crime rate, the deadliest school shooting in American history occurred in 2012 when Adam Lanza shot 20 students and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary school.
The ATF traced 949 firearms in Delaware in 2014. Of these traces, 425 originated with legitimate sellers in Delaware.
363 traced guns were recovered in Wilmington, Delaware's largest city. Pennsylvania was the largest outside source for guns moving into Delaware with 75 traces, followed by Virginia and Florida.
The ATF traced 1,345 firearms in Washington D.C. in 2014. The majority, 791, were pistols, followed by revolvers and rifles.
D.C. has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, and it's illegal to carry a loaded firearm in the city. A large portion of the guns that end up in D.C. come from outside the city, specifically Virginia, which is one of the top exporters of crime guns in the US.
The ATF traced 19,592 firearms in 2014 in Florida alone. Of these, 11,197 originated in Florida.
Firearm-friendly Georgia, Texas, and Alabama were the largest outside sources for Florida's guns. The recoveries were evenly split between Florida's largest cities.
In October, Florida's House narrowly passed a bill allowing 1.4 million Floridians to openly carry firearms.
The ATF traced 11,241 firearms in Georgia in 2014. Of these, 6,715 originated in-state, while a significant amount of traces came from neighboring Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida.
A large number of guns also came from the west, driven over from California and Texas.
Gun culture runs deep in Georgia. For example, in Kennesaw, every household is required to own and maintain a firearm.
The ATF only traced 128 guns in Hawaii in 2014, and only 21 traces originated within the state.
Hawaii has the lowest gun death rate in the entire country. The largest number of outside traces originated in California and Washington, though the quantities are small (only 8 and 4 respectively).
The ATF traced 834 guns in Idaho in 2014. 385 of these traces were pistols. A huge portion, 386, of the ATF's traces originated within the state, followed closely by Washington, with 42.
Idaho is one of the easiest states to buy a gun — no permit or registration is required. Similarly to Alaska, easy access to may have affected suicide rates: guns used in suicides accounted for 32 traces in Idaho last year.
The ATF traced 11,568 guns alone in 2014 in Illinois. Owing to Chicago's ongoing gun violence problem, 6,429 of these guns were recovered in Chicago, and a whopping 6,394 of these guns were pistols.
In an effort to tamper gun violence, Chicago has enacted some of the toughest gun regulations in the country. But a huge portion of firearms — 1,041 of them — originated in Indiana.
Though Chicago itself has strict gun laws, it's as easy as driving an hour into Indiana to purchase guns legally.
The ATF traced a total of 5,587 guns in Indiana in 2014. Indiana has comparatively weak gun laws, so the vast majority — 3,553 — of these firearms actually originated from within the state. 2,655 traces originated from legitimate gun sellers in Indianapolis.
Indiana is also a major exporter of crime guns. Don's Guns and Galleries, an Indianapolis gun store, sold 2,294 guns eventually linked to crime in the last four years alone, according to the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation.
The ATF traced 1,461 firearms in Iowa in 2014. 784 of these guns originated in Iowa, owing to the state's weak gun laws, and 730 of these traces were pistols.
The ATF traced 2,248 guns in Kansas in 2014. Just over half (1,298) of these guns were pistols. Kansas is gun friendly — 1,075 traces originated from legitimate sellers in within the state.
In July 2017, students and faculty will be legally allowed to carry concealed guns on the University of Kansas campus.
The ATF traced 3,165 guns in Kentucky in 2014. 1,777 of the traced firearms were pistols.
Kentucky is gun friendly — just over half of the traced firearms originated with legitimate sellers within the state. 156 traces originated from legitimate sellers in neighboring Indiana.
1,737 of these guns were recovered in Kentucky's largest city, Louisville.
The ATF traced 7,213 guns in Louisiana in 2014. Again, the majority (4,306) of these traces were pistols. 4,274 of these traces originated from sellers within the state owing to Louisiana's weak gun laws.
Texas and Alabama contributed a significant amount of crime guns to Louisiana: 300 and 212 traces originated with legitimate sellers in each state respectively. New Orleans and Baton Rouge were the top source of recovered firearms in Louisiana.
Louisiana also has the highest rate of violent crime in the US, with 10.3 homicides per 100,000 people in 2014, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The ATF traced 316 guns in Maine in 2014. 152 of these traces originated from legitimate sellers in the state.
Neighboring New Hampshire was the largest source of outside guns. 24 of the traced firearms were linked to "family offense" crimes.
The ATF traced 7,706 firearms in Maryland in 2014. 2,871 of these firearms originated from legitimate sellers within the state. 533 traces originated in neighboring Virginia, a major exporter of crime guns. 2,031 guns were recovered in Baltimore alone.
Baltimore had a rough 2015: on April 12, Freddie Gray died in police custody sparking a series of riots throughout the city. There were also more per-capita homicides in Baltimore in 2015 than in any year since 1993.
The ATF traced 1,538 guns in Massachusetts in 2014. 402 of these firearms originated with legitimate sellers in Massachusetts, and 598 were recovered in Boston.
New Hampshire and Maine — states with weaker gun laws than Massachusetts — were a significant source of firearms linked to crimes in Massachusetts in 2014. Many guns came from Florida and Georgia, brought to Massachusetts on the Iron Pipeline — the I-95 highway.
The ATF traced 6,024 firearms in Michigan in 2014. 2,792 of the traced guns originated within the state. Just over half of the traced guns were pistols. Over half of the guns, 3,601, were recovered in Detroit, a city long-plagued by gun violence.
In 2014, Detroit ended the year with 298 murders, the lowest number in 47 years, Forbes reports. Though down, the overall rate of violent crime is more than five times the national average.
The ATF traced 2,429 firearms in Minnesota in 2014. Just over half of these were pistols, and 876 were initially recovered in Minneapolis.
About half of these traced firearms originated with legitimate sellers in-state. Neighboring Wisconsin was the largest source of outside guns.
Of the 2,639 firearms traced by the ATF in Mississippi in 2014, 1,499 originated from legitimate sellers within the state. Jackson and Gulfport were the top recovery cities in 2014, with 642 and 363 firearms recovered in each city respectively.
Like neighboring Alabama and Louisiana, Mississippians have easy, legal access to guns.
In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi's open carry law, after a long fight in the state legislature.
Mississippi also has the highest overall rate of crime gun exports in the US, according to 2009 data from Mayors Against Illegal Guns. It also had the second highest homicide rate of all states in the US in 2014, according to Death Penalty Information Center.
The ATF traced 4,976 firearms in Missouri in 2014, and just over half, 2,692, originated from legitimate sellers within the state. Most of the guns were recovered in Missouri's two largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City. The vast majority, 3,050, were pistols, and linked to drug offenses, owing to Missouri's ongoing problem with drug violence.
The killing of Michael Brown and subsequent protests in Ferguson thrust the state's police and gun culture into the spotlight.
The ATF traced only 469 guns in Montana in 2014.
A large portion of the guns tracked were rifles, likely because many of Montana residents use them for hunting or protecting livestock. A little under half of the guns traced in Montana came from within the state, while Idaho was the largest outside source. Most guns were recovered in Billings, Montana's largest city.
Montana allows residents to carry concealed weapons, though not in any government or school buildings.
The ATF traced 1,104 guns in Nebraska in 2014. 547 originated from legitimate sellers within the state. A majority of guns were recovered in Omaha, Nebraska's largest city. Texas, and neighboring Iowa were the largest outside sources.
Amid an increasingly partisan divide over the issue of gun control, Republican Nebraska senator Tommy Garrett proposed to eliminate gun-free zones, like college campuses, across the state believing it will make them less vulnerable to active shooters.
Campus officials from the University of Nebraska think otherwise, telling ABC News: "Campus atmosphere benefits from not having weapons too freely available."
The ATF traced 3,165 guns in Nevada in 2014. 1,449 of these came from legitimate sellers within the state. California was the largest outside source, contributing 238 firearms in California.
Nevada is famous for its gambling, legal prostitution, and lax gun laws. Nevada has the second highest crime rate in the country, with 607.6 violent crimes per 100,000, according to the USA Today.
Many of these crimes come from Nevada's notorious gambling centers, Las Vegas and Reno — 2,684 guns linked to crime were recovered in Las Vegas alone.
The ATF traced 256 guns in New Hampshire in 2014. Half of them originated from legitimate sellers within the state. The ATF recovered the most firearms in Danbury and Manchester with 49 and 48 respectively in 2014.
Though New Hampshire residents can open carry weapons, it's actually one of the safest states in the US. New Hampshire has the lowest homicide rate (0.9 per 100, 000 people) in the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The ATF traced 3,994 in New Jersey in 2014. Only 510 of these came from within the state.
New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. But violent crime is still high, with 3.9 homicides per 100, 000 people, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Over two-thirds of the guns linked to crimes in New Jersey came from outside of the state, mostly from southern states with weaker gun laws. Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina were the largest outside sources, contributing 386, 201, and 223 guns respectively.
The New York Times describes the I-95 corridor, which runs up from the South through New Jersey, as an "Iron Pipeline" because it's used to traffic a huge number of firearms.
The ATF traced 1,644 firearms in New Mexico in 2014. Just over half of these came from legitimate sellers within the state.
Neighboring Texas was the largest outside source of guns, contributing 100 guns eventually linked to crimes in New Mexico in 2014.
New Mexico is fourth most heavily-armed state in the U.S., with 84, 471 legally registered firearms for a population of 2,085,287, according to CBS.
The ATF traced 7,686 firearms in New York in 2014. 3,793 of these were pistols. Only 1,397 — under 20% — of these guns came from within the state.
Similarly to New Jersey, most of the guns linked to crime in New York originate from outside the state, driven up the I-95 Iron Pipeline.
Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania all contributed a significant amount of guns linked to crimes to New York in 2014. 3,552 firearms were recovered in New York City alone, the state's (and country's) most populous city.
Gun traffickers can make huge profits selling illegally in New York. A handgun that sells for $100 legally at a shop in Georgia can go for upwards of $500 when sold illegally in New York City's huge black market, according to the New York Times.
The ATF traced 10,743 firearms in North Carolina in 2014.
North Carolina has easy access to guns, as more than half of the traces originated from legitimate sellers within the state. Neighboring South Carolina and Virginia were the largest outside sources, contributing 390 and 302 guns respectively in 2014. The ATF recovered the most guns in Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city.
The ATF traced 1,308 firearms in North Dakota in 2014. The largest category of traces were pistols, with 438, followed closely by rifles, with 415. 504 traced firearms originated with legitimate sellers within the state. Neighboring Montana and Wisconsin were the largest outside sources, contributing 46 and 30 guns in 2014.
Guns are huge part of North Dakota's culture. The principal of a high school in Fargo recently disallowed a student to use a picture of himself toting a large rifle as a yearbook photo in early December, sparking a fierce debate, reports NBC News.
The ATF traced 10,333 firearms in Ohio in 2014. 6,107 of these originated from legitimate sellers within the state. West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania were the largest outside sources of crime guns to Ohio in 2014.
The most firearms were initially recovered in Columbus, with 2,263 recoveries, followed by Cleveland and Cincinnati, with 1,679 and 1,412 respectively.
Amid ongoing problems with gang violence in its major cities, Ohio introduced new firearm regulations in March, strengthening background checks, but also decreasing the amount of training needed to acquire a permit.
The legislation also allows Ohioans to purchase shotguns, rifles, and ammunition from any state, regardless of reciprocity agreements, reports the Columbus Dispatch.
The ATF traced 1,485 firearms in Oklahoma in 2014.
Over half of guns originated from legitimate sellers within the state. Texas was the largest outside source of crime guns, contributing 66 to Oklahoma in 2014.
The most firearms were recovered in Tulsa, followed by Oklahoma City, with 427 and 207 recoveries respectively.
The ATF traced 3,812 firearms in Oregon in 2014. 1,851 of these firearms originated from legitimate sellers within the state. The largest outside sources were Washington and California, contributing 167 and 154 guns in 2014.
Though Oregon is a relatively non-violent state with middle-of-the-pack rates of gun ownership, a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in October that killed 10 thrust Oregon's gun culture into the national spotlight.
The ATF traced 8,929 firearms in Pennsylvania in 2014. 4,962 of these firearms originated from legitimate sellers within the state. Virginia and Ohio were the largest outside sources in 2014. 4,848 of the traced firearms were pistols. Philadelphia, a city plagued by gun violence, was the top recovery city with 3,187 recoveries.
In December, a Democratic state senator introduced legislation to make it more difficult for Pennsylvanians to acquire guns. If the bill passes, Pennsylvania would require prospective gun owners to first obtain a firearms eligibility license, reports the Lancaster Online.
The ATF traced 436 firearms in Rhode Island in 2014.
159 of these firearms originated from legitimate sellers within the state, while Massachusetts, Florida, and Connecticut were the top outside contributors.
The ATF recovered the most guns (216) in Rhode Island's capital, Providence.
The ATF traced 4,067 firearms in South Carolina in 2014. Over half of these firearms (2,330) were pistols.
South Carolinians have easy access to guns: 2,284 traces originated with legitimate sellers within the state. Neighboring North Carolina and Georgia were the largest outside contributors of firearms in 2014.
In June, Dylan Roof killed nine people in a racially-charged rampage at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Roof, who had formerly been arrested on a felony charge, purchased the .45 Glock handgun he used for the killings legally, after a series of clerical errors let the mandatory three-day waiting period expire, reports NBC News.
South Dakota is a sparsely populated state — the ATF traced only 252 firearms in South Dakota in 2014. 103 of these guns originated from legitimate sellers within the state.
Wisconsin and Wyoming were the top outside sources. The most firearms were recovered in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
The ATF traced 5,839 firearms in Tennessee in 2014. 3,044 of these were pistols. 2,559 guns came from legitimate sellers within the state.
Neighboring Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi were the top outside sources. 1,172 guns were recovered in Memphis alone, owing to the city's ongoing problem with violent crime.
Texas is a major source state for firearms across the country. The ATF traced 15,977 firearms in Texas. A majority, 8,977, of these were pistols. Texas has lax gun laws: 9,800 of the traces originated with legitimate sellers in-state.
Owing to Texas's proximity to the Mexican border, "dangerous drug" crimes were reported for 2,104 traced firearms. Texas's three largest cities — Houston, Dallas, and Austin — accounted for the majority of recoveries.
Texas has none of the 1o key state laws that curb illegal gun trafficking, according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Texas is one of the top exporters of crime guns to other states in the U.S., according to the Center for American Progress.
The ATF traced 1,100 firearms in Utah in 2014. 578 of these firearms came from legitimate sellers within the state. Neighboring Idaho and Nevada were the top outside sources, contributing 27 and 20 firearms to Utah in 2014.
Gun sales spiked in Utah this past November. On Black Friday (November 27) the state of Utah conducted 2,485 background checks on gun purchasers alone — a record for single day sales, reports Salt Lake City's KUTV.
Vermont is a tiny state: the ATF traced a total of 161 crime guns in Vermont in 2014. 62 of these guns originally came from legitimate sellers within the state. Neighboring New Hampshire was the top outside source, contributing 12 guns in 2014. Burlington, Vermont's largest city, was the top recovery center.
Though Vermont has weak gun laws, there's no permit required to carry concealed firearms, according to the NRA. Vermont also has the second lowest rate of violent crime in the entire U.S.
The ATF traced 7,129 firearms in Virginia in 2014. 4,146 of these originated from legitimate sellers within the state. 4,057 of the traced firearms were pistols. North Carolina was the top importer of crime guns into Virginia, contributing 148 firearms in 2014.
The attorney general of Virginia, a democrat, recently announced that Virginia would stop recognizing concealed carry permits from 25 states that it had previously signed, The Washington Post reported.
In 2007, the deadliest mass shooting in American history occurred on Virginia Tech's campus, when Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students.
In 2014, Virginia also ranked third in terms of the absolute number of crime guns exported, according to the Center for American Progress.
The ATF traced 3,706 firearms in Washington in 2014. 1,884 originated with legitimate sellers in-state. Neighboring Oregon was the top outside source, contributing 132 guns to Washington in 2014. Seattle and Spokane were the top recovery cities.
Washington has relatively lax gun laws: there's no state licensing requirements to purchase, or possess handguns, rifles, or shotguns, according to the NRA.
The ATF traced 933 guns in West Virginia in 2014.
447 of these firearms came from within the state. Pennsylvania was the top outside source, contributing 26 firearms in 2014. The top recovery city was Charleston, with 268.
The ATF traced 3,684 firearms in Wisconsin in 2014. 2,321 of these firearms originated with legitimate sellers in Wisconsin. 2,121 of these guns were pistols. The ATF recovered 1,980 guns in Milwaukee alone, Wisconsin's top recovery city.
Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker, a one-time presidential candidate, further relaxed Wisconsin's gun laws in May through a bill that eliminates the mandatory 48-hour waiting period to purchase a handgun in the state, according CBS.
Wyoming is sparsely-populated: the ATF traced just 224 firearms in the state in 2014. 93 of these came from within the state. Neighboring Montana and Colorado were the top outside sources, contributing 12 and 13 guns to Wyoming in 2014 respectively.
Wyoming is the most heavily armed state in the U.S. with a per capita gun ownership rate of 195.7 per 100 people. This equates to 114,052 registered firearms in a state with only 582,658 people, according to CBS.
Despite this, Wyoming's homicide rate is relatively low, at 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2014, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
