Every year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traces hundreds of thousands of firearms that were either used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. While not all firearms used in criminal acts are traced, ATF data reveals that in every state, there is at least one city that appears to account for a disproportionate share of crimes involving a firearm.
Baton Rouge accounted for the second largest share of firearm tracings in the state in 2021, at 14.2%, while Shreveport ranked third, accounting for 10.4% of all firearms traced by the ATF that year. Baton Rouge and Shreveport make up 4.8% and 4.1% of Louisiana’s total population, respectively.
All firearm trace data is from the ATF and total firearms traced by state includes only those in which a city or town was identified.
| State | City with the most firearms linked to crime, 2021 | Firearms linked to crime in city, 2021 | Share of total state-wide traces from city, 2021 (%) | Share of total state pop. in city, 2021 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Mobile | 1,694 | 19.2 | 3.8 |
| Alaska | Anchorage | 386 | 48.4 | 39.8 |
| Arizona | Phoenix | 4,317 | 35.7 | 22.5 |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | 1,088 | 30.7 | 6.7 |
| California | Los Angeles | 8,036 | 14.8 | 9.9 |
| Colorado | Denver | 1,854 | 26.3 | 12.3 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | 349 | 21.6 | 3.4 |
| Delaware | Wilmington | 524 | 31.2 | 7.2 |
| Florida | Jacksonville | 3,197 | 9.3 | 4.4 |
| Georgia | Atlanta | 4,083 | 20.0 | 4.6 |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | 30 | 26.1 | 24.2 |
| Idaho | Boise | 338 | 24.7 | 12.8 |
| Illinois | Chicago | 9,584 | 50.0 | 21.4 |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | 4,629 | 44.8 | 13.0 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 596 | 23.2 | 6.7 |
| Kansas | Wichita | 1,718 | 40.0 | 13.5 |
| Kentucky | Louisville | 2,977 | 43.8 | 14.0 |
| Louisiana | New Orleans | 2,017 | 14.6 | 8.2 |
| Maine | Portland | 91 | 17.7 | 5.0 |
| Maryland | Baltimore | 2,631 | 26.7 | 9.6 |
| Massachusetts | Boston | 888 | 27.6 | 9.6 |
| Michigan | Detroit | 7,644 | 62.0 | 6.4 |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | 1,183 | 25.7 | 7.5 |
| Mississippi | Gulfport | 533 | 11.3 | 2.4 |
| Missouri | St. Louis | 3,378 | 33.1 | 4.9 |
| Montana | Billings | 286 | 24.1 | 10.7 |
| Nebraska | Omaha | 1,272 | 56.8 | 25.0 |
| Nevada | Las Vegas | 5,110 | 75.9 | 20.7 |
| New Hampshire | Manchester | 385 | 54.6 | 8.4 |
| New Jersey | Newark | 570 | 12.2 | 3.3 |
| New Mexico | Albuquerque | 2,418 | 58.8 | 26.7 |
| New York | New York City | 5,150 | 50.0 | 43.4 |
| North Carolina | Charlotte | 3,837 | 16.7 | 8.3 |
| North Dakota | Fargo | 189 | 24.7 | 16.2 |
| Ohio | Columbus | 3,763 | 18.2 | 7.6 |
| Oklahoma | Tulsa | 2,054 | 38.7 | 10.4 |
| Oregon | Portland | 1,339 | 24.5 | 15.4 |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 6,113 | 39.9 | 12.3 |
| Rhode Island | Providence | 329 | 49.4 | 17.3 |
| South Carolina | Columbia | 1,782 | 16.9 | 2.7 |
| South Dakota | Rapid City | 446 | 53.6 | 8.4 |
| Tennessee | Memphis | 6,440 | 41.5 | 9.2 |
| Texas | Houston | 11,600 | 25.5 | 7.9 |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | 456 | 15.2 | 6.2 |
| Vermont | Burlington | 39 | 16.0 | 7.0 |
| Virginia | Richmond | 1,341 | 11.0 | 2.6 |
| Washington | Seattle | 666 | 11.9 | 9.5 |
| West Virginia | Charleston | 424 | 25.0 | 2.7 |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee | 3,454 | 48.9 | 9.8 |
| Wyoming | Casper | 73 | 24.6 | 10.2 |
