Report Lost and Stolen Guns
Report Lost and Stolen Guns
What does this solve?
Hundreds of thousands of guns are lost or stolen from private gun owners, gun dealers, or shipping companies every year. Requiring that lost and stolen guns be reported to law enforcement deters illegal gun trafficking. The reporting of these guns allows the police to respond more quickly to gun thefts and helps them identify tracking patterns.
Stolen guns are often diverted into an underground market where people with dangerous histories are able to easily obtain firearms.1Philip J. Cook, “Gun Markets,” Annual Review of Criminology 1 (2018): 359–77, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092149; ATF, “National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFTCA), Volume II: Crime Gun Intelligence and Analysis—Part V: Firearm Thefts,” January 2023, https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-ii-part-v-firearm-thefts/download. Lost and stolen guns have been recovered at the scenes of violent crimes,2Brian Freskos, “Missing Pieces: Gun Theft From Legal Gun Owners is on the Rise, Quietly Fueling Violent Crime,” The Trace, November 20, 2017, https://www.thetrace.org/2017/11/stolen-guns-violent-crime-america/. shootings on school grounds, and unintentional shootings by children. Passing laws requiring gun owners to report guns that have been lost or stolen to law enforcement can help prevent illegal gun trafficking and gun violence.
Myth & Fact
Myth
Lost and stolen reporting laws only re-victimize and penalize gun owners when the focus should be on criminals.
Fact
Most lost and stolen reporting laws only have consequences to gun owners who fail to alert law enforcement when their guns are lost or stolen. Lost and stolen reporting laws are associated with a 30 percent lower risk that guns would be purchased in that state and recovered after a crime in another state.1Daniel W. Webster et al., “Preventing the Diversion of Guns to Criminals Through Effective Firearm Sales Laws,” in Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis, (Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013): 109–21, https://bit.ly/3Ic334l.
Featured Resources
Gun Thefts from Cars: The Largest Source of Stolen Guns
On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States. Secure storage can prevent gun thefts.
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Secure gun storage can prevent theft and access by children, unauthorized users, and anyone who may pose a danger to themself or others.
Stolen Guns Pose a Tremendous Risk to Public Safety
Thousands of guns are stolen every year and often wind up at crime scenes. Stolen guns pose a tremendous risk to public safety.
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Report Lost and Stolen Guns
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The Smoking Gun
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This report spells out the basic facts about licensed dealers and the relationship between these dealers and gun crimes.
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The Be SMART campaign raises awareness about how secure gun storage can save children’s lives.
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Gun thefts from cars are the largest source of stolen guns—one that continues rising in parallel with rates of gun sales and violence.
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Una investigación de Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund revela que los robos de armas en vehículos son la mayor fuente de armas robadas.
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Secure gun storage practices should include unloading the ammunition, locking the gun, and storing it and ammunition in separate locations.
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