Gun Trafficking in Your State
State-specific information about firearms trafficking and crime guns in select states.
Gun trafficking is arming lethal violence around the country. Every year, hundreds of thousands of guns are illegally channeled into communities, where they are used in shootings and other violent crimes that terrorize neighborhoods. By the end of 2026, Everytown estimates that 1.27 million guns will have been illegally trafficked since 2017.1Nick Suplina, Marianna Mitchem, and Chelsea Parsons, “The Supply Side of Violence: How Gun Dealers Fuel Firearm Trafficking,” Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, December 2, 2025, https://everytownresearch.org/report/how-gun-dealers-fuel-firearm-trafficking/.
Definition of Gun Trafficking
Gun trafficking: The movement of one or more firearms into the illegal market for a criminal purpose or use.1 ATF, “National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFTCA), Volume III: Firearms Trafficking Investigations—Part I: Introduction and Methodology,” April 2024, 2, https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-iii-part-i/download.
Although the Trump administration purports to prioritize fighting crime, it has taken steps to severely weaken the ability of federal law enforcement agencies to identify gun traffickers and their suppliers and shut down trafficking pipelines. These actions will undoubtedly embolden criminal networks to continue funneling illegal guns into our communities.
While gun trafficking is a national problem, the specific characteristics of this criminal conduct vary by state. State leaders can take action to address gun trafficking and fill the void created by federal actions by adopting a comprehensive gun trafficking prevention strategy. That strategy starts with fully understanding the scope of the gun trafficking problem in their own state. The fact sheets below offer a detailed profile of gun trafficking in select states.
State-Specific Firearm Trafficking Fact Sheets
While only select states are represented in these fact sheets, information about how any state leader can take action to prevent gun trafficking can be found in our firearm trafficking report. More states will continue to be added—check back soon if your state is not yet included.
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Everytown Research & Policy is a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to understanding and reducing gun violence. Everytown Research & Policy works to do so by conducting methodologically rigorous research, supporting evidence-based policies, and communicating this knowledge to the American public.
