Special Report
Gun Crime Has Been on the Rise in Illinois for Over a Decade
Published:
Firearm sales have hit historic highs in the U.S. in recent years, and the ongoing proliferation of firearms may be fueling a rise in gun crime.
When firearms are recovered at a crime scene or taken from a suspect, they are often reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for tracing. In these cases, the ATF assists in criminal investigations by using serial numbers and other markings to determine when and where a firearm was originally purchased — and over the last 12 years, firearm-related offenses have been taking up a growing share of federal resources.
Between 2010 and 2022, the number of guns traced by the ATF surged by 174%, from 145,600 to 399,400, climbing by anywhere from 3% to 18% in a single year. Most homicides in the U.S. are committed with a firearm, and over the same period, the national homicide rate climbed by over 50%.
While not all guns traced by the ATF were used in a crime — and not all firearms used for illicit purposes are traced — federal tracing data offers valuable insight into trends and geographic patterns related to gun violence in the United States.
Mirroring the national trend, gun tracings are up sharply in Illinois. The ATF traced 7,273 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 15,353 in 2010. Adjusting for population, gun crime now appears far more common in Illinois than it is across the U.S. as a whole. In 12 of the last 13 years, the number of firearm tracings for every 100,000 people in the state was above the comparable national rate.
As of 2022, the most recent year of available data, the ATF traced 122 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the 21st highest gun-tracing rate among states.
2010: 7,273 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2010: 56.6 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2010: 5.5 per 100,000 people (14th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people
2011: 7,511 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2011: 58.4 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2011: 6.1 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2012: 7,349 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2012: 57.1 per 100,000 people (17th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2012: 6.0 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people
2013: 7,068 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2013: 54.9 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2013: 5.6 per 100,000 people (11th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people
2014: 7,269 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2014: 56.4 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2014: 5.4 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people
2015: 8,254 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2015: 64.2 per 100,000 people (18th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2015: 5.9 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people
2016: 8,745 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2016: 68.3 per 100,000 people (21st highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2016: 8.3 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people
2017: 10,425 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2017: 81.4 per 100,000 people (17th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2017: 7.7 per 100,000 people (9th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people
2018: 10,504 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2018: 82.4 per 100,000 people (23rd highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2018: 7.1 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people
2019: 11,574 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2019: 91.3 per 100,000 people (19th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2019: 6.7 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people
2020: 11,708 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2020: 92.1 per 100,000 people (25th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2020: 9.1 per 100,000 people (8th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people
2021: 14,792 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2021: 116.7 per 100,000 people (20th highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2021: 6.8 per 100,000 people
- U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people
2022: 15,353 firearms traced by the ATF
- Firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois, 2022: 122.0 per 100,000 people (21st highest)
- Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
- Illinois homicide rate, 2022: 9.2 per 100,000 people (11th highest)
- U.S. homicide rate, 2022: 7.3 per 100,000 people
| Year | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in Illinois | Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US | Total firearms traced by the ATF in Illinois | Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 122.0 | 119.8 | 15,353 | 399,397 |
| 2021 | 116.7 | 108.9 | 14,792 | 361,587 |
| 2020 | 92.1 | 93.9 | 11,708 | 306,686 |
| 2019 | 91.3 | 82.0 | 11,574 | 269,250 |
| 2018 | 82.4 | 77.9 | 10,504 | 254,700 |
| 2017 | 81.4 | 73.4 | 10,425 | 239,175 |
| 2016 | 68.3 | 65.4 | 8,745 | 211,384 |
| 2015 | 64.2 | 59.3 | 8,254 | 190,538 |
| 2014 | 56.4 | 53.4 | 7,269 | 170,344 |
| 2013 | 54.9 | 52.6 | 7,068 | 166,426 |
| 2012 | 57.1 | 49.8 | 7,349 | 156,346 |
| 2011 | 58.4 | 47.9 | 7,511 | 149,276 |
| 2010 | 56.6 | 47.1 | 7,273 | 145,604 |
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