Vehicles Becoming Primary Source of Stolen Firearms in U.S., Everytown Report Finds

According to a report by the gun safety group Everytown, which analyzed FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states, the rate of guns being stolen from cars in the US has skyrocketed over the past decade, tripling since 2011. This trend has made vehicles the primary source of stolen firearms in the country, surpassing residential break-ins. The rate of stolen guns from cars increased almost every year, with a particularly sharp rise during the COVID-19 pandemic coinciding with a surge in weapon purchases. The report found that approximately half of the 122,000 guns reported stolen in 2022 were taken from automobiles, typically while parked in driveways or outside people’s homes. This figure represents a marked increase from 2013, when fewer than one-quarter of gun thefts occurred at residences. The issue of stolen guns is concerning because these weapons frequently end up being used in violent crimes. A study by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives found that in around 40% of criminal cases involving firearms, the weapons were obtained through theft, purchase from a private seller without a background check, or another illicit means. The ATF has also noted that the majority of gun thefts originate from individual owners rather than licensed dealers. To combat this problem, some cities, like Savannah, Georgia, have implemented measures requiring people to secure firearms left inside automobiles following an uptick in thefts. However, the new rule has faced opposition from the state’s attorney general.