Utah youth firearm offenses double, but no one really knows where they’re getting the guns

SALT LAKE CITY — In the past decade, Utah has seen a dramatic increase in firearm-related offenses among teenagers, with the number of juvenile detention bookings for these crimes more than doubling.

Data from the Utah Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee shows that in 2015, 43 juveniles were booked for firearm offenses. By 2023, that number had surged to 107. Experts are raising alarms about where these teens are getting firearms and how to stem the rising tide of youth violence.

Pam Vickrey, executive director of Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys, sees the devastating effects of teens accessing firearms.

“None of them have them legally,” Vickrey said. “Where are they getting them?”

Where are teens getting guns?

In many cases, the answer remains unclear. In Utah, there is no mandate to track the origin of guns used in juvenile crimes. Lt. Nick Street of the Utah Department of Public Safety explained that investigating firearm sources is often not a priority during cases.

“Finding the source could take a lot of resources,” Street said. “Sometimes guns change hands quite a bit.”

Nancy Halden, communications director for the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, sees this lack of data as a missed opportunity.

“Good policy is made from good data,” Halden said, stressing that other states prioritize firearm tracking.

National data and anecdotal evidence suggest that teens frequently obtain firearms from unsecured locations, such as unlocked cars, homes, and online sales through private sellers.

A 2023 Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention survey found that more than a quarter of students in grades 6–12 reported easy access to handguns. Alarmingly, over 20% of respondents said guns and ammunition in their homes were stored unlocked or in plain sight.

The consequences of easy access

The surge in teen firearm offenses has left families and communities reeling. Halden noted that guns are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States.

Vickrey added that the presence of firearms compounds the impulsivity of adolescents.

“When they have certain weapons, it only takes a split second for that to go very bad, very, very quickly,” she said.

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