Gun thefts from cars in the US have tripled over the past decade, new report finds

The rate of gun thefts from vehicles in the United States has tripled since 2013, making cars the most common source of stolen guns across the nation, a new report released Thursday found.

A gun safety group analyzed FBI crime data from 337 cities across 44 states — covering a combined population of about 63 million people — between 2013 and 2022. The report, from Everytown for Gun Safety, revealed that, on average, at least one firearm is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States.

The rate of gun theft has tripled over almost a decade, increasing each year and spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report. The sharp increase in stolen firearms from cars coincides with a rise in gun ownership in the United States and recent legislation that has loosened restrictions on guns in some states.

One in five U.S. households purchased a gun from March 2020 to March 2022, according to NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research institution. During that period, one in 20 adults bought a gun for the first time.

Last November, an NBC News national poll found that more than half of U.S. voters said they or someone in their household owned a firearm.

The Everytown report noted that the dangerous trend underscores the importance of storing firearms securely and safely. Thousands of missing weapons go unreported annually, according to the report, and stolen guns are often used in other crimes.

"Guns stolen from cars often go from legal hands to the illegal market, where they are too often used to carry out other crimes, including assaults and homicides. But these thefts are preventable, as is the heartbreak and long-lasting trauma of the violence they can cause," Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. "Gun owners must securely store their guns – whether in the car or in the home – to save lives."

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Surge in gun thefts from cars a 'conservative estimate'

The rate of stolen guns from vehicles rose from about 21 thefts per 100,000 people in 2013 to about 63 per 100,000 in 2022, according to the report.

While firearms can be stolen from homes, gun shops, or individuals, vehicles parked at residences were the largest source of stolen guns. Nearly 112,000 guns were reported stolen in 2022, and nearly 62,000 of those guns were stolen from cars, the report found.

"A decade ago, the majority of gun thefts were from burglaries of a home or other structure (38 percent), and roughly a quarter (26 percent) were from cars," the report states. "Since then, the nation has seen a stark increase to over half coming from cars. In fact, the past decade’s overall increase in gun thefts is driven primarily by the rise in gun thefts from cars."

But the report said the increase in gun thefts from cars is "likely a conservative estimate" as only about a third of states legally require individuals to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement. And federal law does not require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to law enforcement, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Missing guns are often used in other crimes

Stolen guns have appeared in numerous crime cases, according to the Everytown report. In July 2021, a gun stolen from an unlocked car in Riverside, Florida, was used to kill a 27-year-old US Coast Guard member as she tried to stop a neighborhood car burglary.

Last month, a 14-year-old boy accidentally killed his 11-year-old brother in Florida with a gun that was reported stolen. The firearm was taken from an unlocked car a few days before the incident and the teenager later found the gun in an alley.

"Stolen guns that enter the illegal market are an appealing source of firearms for people who are legally prohibited from having guns," the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said.

The center cited an analysis of over 23,000 stolen firearms recovered between 2010 and 2016, which found that a majority of the weapons recovered were linked to crimes. More than 1,500 included violent crimes, such as murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery.

Both Everytown and the Giffords Law Center have said lost and stolen firearm laws can help reduce illegal gun crime. Policies that require firearms to be securely stored and mandate reporting of lost and stolen guns can "reduce illegal gun movements by 46 percent," Everytown said in its report.

States with weak gun safety laws have higher rates of gun theft

Everytown's report found that the rate of gun thefts from vehicles is nearly 18 times higher in cities with weaker gun safety laws compared to states with the strongest gun laws. Earlier this year, the gun safety group ranked all 50 states based on the strength and impact of each state's gun safety policies.

According to the group's rankings, California had the strongest gun laws in the country, followed by New York, Illinois, Connecticut, and Hawaii. Meanwhile, Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, Montana, and Georgia had the weakest gun laws.

In many cities located in states with weak gun laws, the Everytown report said "high rates of gun ownership and laws that make it easier to carry guns in public create conditions under which gun thefts from cars may be more likely." Cities with the highest rate of gun thefts from cars in 2022 were Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; and San Antonio, Texas.

Memphis, Tennessee, had over 3,000 gun thefts from vehicles in 2022 while Atlanta, Georgia, had less than 2,500 guns stolen from cars, according to the report — which noted that both states have weak gun safety laws. In contrast, some cities in states with strong gun safety laws, such as Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, had zero guns reported stolen from cars in 2022.

How to securely store your weapons

Everytown has recommended gun owners to always lock their vehicles and store their firearms so that they are not visible to others. Gun safes are available for every make and model of vehicles, according to the group.

There are a variety of devices that make it easy to store guns securely and also enables fast access for gun owners, Everytown said. Storage devices include lock boxes, console or vehicle gun safes, and gun cases, among other devices.

"Secure gun storage can be a lifesaver," Everytown said in its guide to secure gun storage devices. "It can prevent theft and access by children, unauthorized users, and anyone who may pose a danger to themself or others."

The group also advised people to support public awareness campaigns that help prevent firearm theft from cars. In some areas, law enforcement and nonprofit organizations have established campaigns or programs that raise awareness about gun thefts.

Be SMART, a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, was launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership and help "normalize conversations about gun safety."

According to the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, the program encourages adults to: 

• Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the role of guns in suicide
• Tell your peers to be SMART

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY