Report Lost and Stolen Guns
Report Lost and Stolen Guns
What is the problem?
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.
Gun thefts occur in staggering numbers and often divert guns into an underground market where people with dangerous histories are able to easily obtain firearms. Passing laws requiring gun owners to report guns that have been lost or stolen to law enforcement can help prevent illegal gun trafficking.
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% lower risk that guns would be purchased in that state and recovered after a crime in another state.
Featured Resources

Keeping Our Schools Safe: A Plan for Preventing Mass Shootings and Ending All Gun Violence in American Schools
The failure of our leaders to address the root causes of school gun violence is having lasting consequences for millions of children.

Guns and Violence Against Women: America’s Uniquely Lethal Intimate Partner Violence Problem 10.17.2019
