Brady Gun Trace Data Report Finds Most Rochester Crime Guns Come from Out of State

Number of in-state crime guns is rising, with many originating from within Monroe County 

ROCHESTER, NY, June 3, 2026 – The majority of illegal guns recovered by the Rochester Police Department (RPD) continue to come from outside New York State, but the number from within the state is rising, with a significant portion sourced from within Monroe County, the Brady United Gun Trace Data Report on Rochester crime guns has found. 

“The pipeline of illegal guns flowing onto the streets of Rochester does not begin here, but the people of Rochester are paying the price,” said Mayor Malik D. Evans. “Gun violence has dropped significantly over the past four-plus years, but it’s still too high. And there are still too many illegal guns on our streets.” 

Conducted by one of the nation’s leading firearm safety organizations on behalf of the Evans Administration, Brady’s Gun Trace Data Report analyzed almost 2,000 crime guns recovered by RPD from 2022 through September of 2025 and traced them to their initial source: gun dealers or ghost-gun fabrications. 

Two-thirds of those guns came from out-of-state gun dealers, with Ohio, Georgia, and Florida supplying the largest share. However, compared to Brady’s 2023 Rochester gun tracing report, the number of crime guns sourced from within New York State is growing, from 1 in 5 to 1 in 3. The majority of crime guns from New York State are supplied from dealers within Monroe County, the report found. 

"Elected officials and policymakers who want to reduce crime need to ask the question, 'where are the crime guns coming from?' This data tells that story, and in doing so, it shines light on the solutions communities can implement to stop the flow of illegal guns,” said Josh Scharff, General Counsel & Senior Director of Brady’s Combating Crime Guns Initiative. “We're honored to work with Mayor Evans and the City of Rochester on this project and encourage other municipalities to follow their lead and crack down on crime.”

The report notes that a significant portion of recovered and traced guns were first sold just a few years ago, which indicates that changes made to dealer business practices now are likely to result in fewer crime guns sooner rather than later. The number of crime guns purchased within the last few years has decreased in the past four years, indicating that Rochester’s efforts on gun violence and dealer improvements are generating progress. 

Brady’s report also found evidence that a growing number of un-serialized “ghost guns” are now privately manufactured using technology such as 3-D printers. Prior to 2023, virtually all ghost guns recovered by RPD were produced from kits sold by a single manufacturer. But with the closure of that business in 2024 due to legal actions, almost half of all ghost guns recovered were privately manufactured.  

Due to federal regulations, a significant amount of the report’s content, including the names of gun stores, was redacted. Still, the report offers insights into the nature of gun trafficking in Rochester that will inform the City’s firearm violence reduction strategies. 

To view the redacted report, visit here.