The City In Rhode Island Where The Most Guns Are Linked To Crime

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. Providence

December 30, 2022

The United States is the only country in the world with more civilian-owned firearms than people. While most of the nearly 400 million firearms in the U.S. belong to law-abiding citizens, some portion of them inevitably end up in the wrong hands.

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.

The ATF traced a total of 666 firearms in Rhode Island in 2021. Of those, 329, or 49.4%, of all guns traced in the state were linked to crimes in Providence. Meanwhile, Providence accounts for only 17.3% of the state’s total population, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.

Cranston accounted for the second largest share of firearm tracings in the state in 2021, at 10.4%, while Pawtucket ranked third, accounting for 7.8% of all firearms traced by the ATF that year. Cranston and Pawtucket make up 7.6% and 6.9% of Rhode Island’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.

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This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.