For the first time, California’s Department of Justice has released data showing how many crime guns recovered in the state’s largest cities can be traced back to individual firearms dealers. The findings highlight a handful of stores that appear repeatedly in criminal investigations, raising questions about how guns move from legal purchase to illegal use.
Bakersfield Store Tops List of Crime Gun Sources
In Bakersfield, the Turner’s Outdoorsman location on Mohawk Street stands out. Between 2023 and 2025, law enforcement traced 83 guns sold at that store to crime scenes or illegal possessions within the city—the highest number for any active dealer in California’s ten most populous cities. The store opened in late 2020, replacing a previous business, Second Amendment Sports, which had 100 additional traced guns during the same period. Combined, that location accounted for 183 crime guns recovered in Bakersfield alone.
This figure exceeds the combined totals of the top five dealers in other major cities, including Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego. Community violence intervention workers in Bakersfield have taken note. Juan Avila, from the group Garden Pathways, said the issue came up in a recent meeting with the Bakersfield Police Department. “Many of those were being traced to Turner’s,” he said. “That’s really what grabbed my attention—to see how many guns actually can be traced back to a local shop.”
Bakersfield Police spokesperson Sally Selby responded that the department is “unaware of there being any illegal firearms sales or transactions that are occurring.”
Turner’s Outdoorsman Dominates Statewide Data
Statewide, the Turner’s chain—California’s largest gun retailer—was linked to more than 8,500 crime guns from 2023 to 2025. The company sold over 540,000 firearms during that period, representing 21.8% of all sales in the data. However, its share of guns later recovered as crime guns was higher, at 25.9%. This discrepancy has drawn criticism from gun safety advocates.
“Turner’s is doing something on a corporate level—or they’re not doing something on the corporate level—to prevent this,” said Christian Heyne of Brady United. “They have been a rash on this report for the last four years.” Other large retailers, such as Bass Pro Shops and Sportsman’s Warehouse, do not appear at the top of the list, and a smaller percentage of their sales end up as crime guns.
The chain’s Southern California locations occupy the top eight spots for traces in the state. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called for an investigation into the company, stating, “People are being killed by the guns Turner’s sells, and it demands investigation and action.”
Violations Found at Inspected Stores
The new report also includes inspection findings from 2025. While most violations were minor, an inspector flagged a possible straw purchase violation at the Turner’s store in San Bernardino—the location connected to the most crime guns in the state, with 781 traces. Straw purchases involve buying a gun for someone who cannot legally do so, and regulators view them as a trafficking indicator.
Turner’s Outdoorsman did not respond to requests for comment. In a June statement to The Daily Caller, a company executive said the firm has a “proven commitment to regulatory compliance” and that trace data “does not indicate wrongdoing by the retailer.”
Why Some Stores See More Crime Guns
Experts, including former ATF agents and researchers, say several factors can influence how many guns from a store end up at crime scenes. These include location, inventory, pricing, clientele, and nearby competition. Guns can reach crime scenes through theft, straw purchases, trafficking, or legal purchase by someone who later commits a crime.
One notable trend in the data: guns sold at Turner’s stores were recovered at crime scenes faster than those from other dealers. The chain’s guns were 36% more likely to appear at a crime scene within a year of purchase—a timeframe regulators consider a potential sign of trafficking.
Sacramento Area Stores Under Scrutiny
In Sacramento, a store just outside the city limits was linked to 38 crime guns recovered in the capital. Mayor Kevin McCarty said the prevalence of guns from that store and from River City Gun Exchange—the dealer with the most traces in Sacramento—warrants review by state and local law enforcement “to see if there’s any shortcomings in background checks and procedures to make sure that guns aren’t getting in the wrong hands.”
National Context and Data Limitations
California is the only state that publishes retailer-level crime gun data. Congress has prohibited the ATF from sharing such information since 2003, making it difficult to compare these trends nationally. The data offers a rare window into how legal firearms sales correlate with criminal gun use, but it does not prove wrongdoing by any dealer.
For now, the numbers provide a starting point for law enforcement and community groups to examine whether certain stores require closer oversight or changes in practice.