Georgia Has Ranked Among the Worst States for Gun Crime for Over a Decade

By Sam Stebbins Published Feb 8, 8:20AM EST

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Georgia Has Ranked Among the Worst States for Gun Crime for Over a Decade — © SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

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 â 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 Georgia. The ATF traced 20,011 seized firearms in the state in 2022, compared to 7,900 in 2010. Adjusting for population, gun crime has long been more common in Georgia than it is across the U.S. as a whole. In each 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 183 seized firearms for every 100,000 people in the state, the fifth highest gun-tracing rate among states.

2010: 7,900 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2010: 81.3 per 100,000 people (3rd highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2010: 47.1 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2010: 5.7 per 100,000 people (11th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2010: 4.8 per 100,000 people

2011: 8,270 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2011: 84.3 per 100,000 people (3rd highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2011: 47.9 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2011: 5.6 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2011: 4.7 per 100,000 people

2012: 8,281 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2012: 83.5 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2012: 49.8 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2012: 5.9 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2012: 4.7 per 100,000 people

2013: 8,282 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2013: 82.9 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2013: 52.6 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2013: 5.6 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2013: 4.5 per 100,000 people

2014: 8,563 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2014: 84.8 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2014: 53.4 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2014: 6.0 per 100,000 people (6th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2014: 4.4 per 100,000 people

2015: 9,468 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2015: 92.7 per 100,000 people (3rd highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2015: 59.3 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2015: 6.1 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2015: 4.9 per 100,000 people

2016: 11,400 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2016: 110.6 per 100,000 people (3rd highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2016: 65.4 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2016: 6.6 per 100,000 people (14th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2016: 5.4 per 100,000 people

2017: 12,308 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2017: 118.0 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2017: 73.4 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2017: 6.5 per 100,000 people (12th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2017: 5.3 per 100,000 people

2018: 13,297 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2018: 126.4 per 100,000 people (3rd highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2018: 77.9 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2018: 6.2 per 100,000 people (14th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2018: 5.0 per 100,000 people

2019: 14,058 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2019: 132.4 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2019: 82.0 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2019: 5.7 per 100,000 people (15th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2019: 5.1 per 100,000 people

2020: 16,409 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2020: 156.0 per 100,000 people (4th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2020: 93.9 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2020: 8.8 per 100,000 people (10th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2020: 6.5 per 100,000 people

2021: 17,776 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2021: 164.6 per 100,000 people (6th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2021: 108.9 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2021: 9.1 per 100,000 people
U.S. homicide rate, 2021: 7.7 per 100,000 people

2022: 20,011 firearms traced by the ATF

Firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia, 2022: 183.4 per 100,000 people (5th highest)
Firearms traced by the ATF nationwide, 2022: 119.8 per 100,000 people
Georgia homicide rate, 2022: 8.9 per 100,000 people (13th highest)
U.S. homicide rate, 2022: 7.3 per 100,000 people

Year	Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in Georgia	Firearm tracings per 100,000 people in the US	Total firearms traced by the ATF in Georgia	Total firearms traced by the ATF in the US
2022	183.4	119.8	20,011	399,397
2021	164.6	108.9	17,776	361,587
2020	156.0	93.9	16,409	306,686
2019	132.4	82.0	14,058	269,250
2018	126.4	77.9	13,297	254,700
2017	118.0	73.4	12,308	239,175
2016	110.6	65.4	11,400	211,384
2015	92.7	59.3	9,468	190,538
2014	84.8	53.4	8,563	170,344
2013	82.9	52.6	8,282	166,426
2012	83.5	49.8	8,281	156,346
2011	84.3	47.9	8,270	149,276
2010	81.3	47.1	7,900	145,604

About the Author Sam Stebbins →

Sam Stebbins is a writer at a673b.bigscoots-temp.com where his primary focus is on government policy, politics, companies, and broad social and economic trends. Sam has been writing in the money and news verticals for over 8 years and holds a bachelor's degree from Hobart College, which he earned in 2010. Sam resides in upstate New York and enjoys hiking, biking, canoeing, and skiing in the Adirondack Mountains and across the Northeast.