Mass shootings have become a tragic staple in the American news cycle. According to the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive, there were over 640 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022. Though these horrific incidents often receive widespread media coverage, when it comes to gun crimes in America, they are only the tip of the iceberg.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traced a total of over 456,000 firearms likely linked to a crime in the United States in 2021, the most recent year of available data. Each of these traced firearms is assigned one of 59 categories that describe the circumstances in which it was recovered by law enforcement.
The ATF traced a total of 7,062 firearms in Wisconsin in 2021. Excluding potential crimes which, by definition, always involve a firearm such as illegal weapon possession, the most common category of circumstances to which traced firearms were linked in the state were drug related. This classification accounted for 4.2% of all firearms traced by the ATF in the state in 2021.
The two other most common categories for traced firearms in Wisconsin in 2021 were related to family offenses and homicide, which accounted for 3.2% and 2.7% of all traced firearms, respectively.
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StateTotal traced guns, 2021Top category for traced guns2nd most common category for traced guns3rd most common category for traced gunsAlabama8,847Dangerous drugsProperty crimesFamily offenseAlaska797Dangerous drugsTraffic offenseSimple assaultArizona12,113Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsHomicideArkansas3,541Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultProperty crimesCalifornia54,338Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultObstruction of justiceColorado7,051Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultSuicideConnecticut1,617Family offenseDangerous drugsHomicideDelaware1,678SuicideDangerous drugsAggravated assaultFlorida34,491Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsFamily offenseGeorgia20,472Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultProperty crimesHawaii115Dangerous drugsAttempted homicideSuicideIdaho1,376Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsSuicideIllinois19,188Dangerous drugsHomicideFamily offenseIndiana10,349Dangerous drugsFamily offenseHomicideIowa2,576Dangerous drugsFamily offenseSuicideKansas4,303Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultFamily offenseKentucky6,812Dangerous drugsHomicideSimple assaultLouisiana13,823Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultHomicideMaine513BurglaryDangerous drugsFamily offenseMaryland9,857Family offenseSimple assaultHomicideMassachusetts3,222Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultFamily offenseMichigan12,329Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsHomicideMinnesota4,605Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultFamily offenseMississippi4,744Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultProperty crimesMissouri10,213Dangerous drugsProperty crimesAggravated assaultMontana1,188Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultHomicideNebraska2,240ThreatDangerous drugsSuicideNevada6,735Traffic offenseDangerous drugsFamily offenseNew Hampshire705Family offenseDangerous drugsSuicideNew Jersey4,685Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsFamily offenseNew Mexico4,114Aggravated assaultDangerous drugsHomicideNew York10,310HomicideDangerous drugsAggravated assaultNorth Carolina23,104Dangerous drugsFamily offenseAggravated assaultNorth Dakota778Dangerous drugsSuicideFamily offenseOhio20,826Dangerous drugsFamily offenseHomicideOklahoma5,302Dangerous drugsSimple assaultHomicideOregon5,459Dangerous drugsFamily offenseSuicidePennsylvania15,370Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultFamily offenseRhode Island666Dangerous drugsFamily offenseHomicideSouth Carolina10,713Dangerous drugsHomicideAggravated assaultSouth Dakota832Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultBurglaryTennessee15,531Dangerous drugsSimple assaultProperty crimesTexas45,618Dangerous drugsAggravated assaultHomicideUtah3,030Dangerous drugsFamily offenseTraffic offenseVermont243Dangerous drugsFamily offenseHomicideVirginia12,184Dangerous drugsSuicideHomicideWashington5,586Dangerous drugsFamily offenseAggravated assaultWest Virginia1,698Dangerous drugsHomicideFamily offenseWisconsin7,062Dangerous drugsFamily offenseHomicideWyoming298Dangerous drugsHomicideSuicide
