Imagine a firearm vanishing from its lawful owner every 28 seconds, fueling a dark pipeline that saw over 380,000 guns stolen from private citizens in 2022 alone, with the vast majority slipping into a criminal underworld where recovery is tragically rare.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, an estimated 380,000 firearms were reported stolen from private citizens across the United States, representing a 7% increase from 2021
- Between May 2021 and April 2022, the ATF traced over 20,000 firearms reported stolen from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs)
- From 2017 to 2021, more than 1 million firearms were stolen nationwide, with an average of 200,000 per year
- In 2022, California reported 11,000 stolen guns, highest in the nation
- Texas saw 8,700 firearms stolen in 2021, with 60% from vehicles
- Florida reported 7,200 gun thefts in 2022, up 15% from prior year
- In Chicago, IL, 12,500 firearms stolen 2019-2022, average 3,125/year
- Los Angeles, CA: 8,000 gun thefts 2021-2022, 65% from vehicles
- Houston, TX: 4,500 stolen guns 2022, recovery 8%
- Gun thefts in US increased 25% from 2019 to 2022 per capita
- From 2017 to 2021, annual gun thefts rose from 150,000 to 250,000
- Vehicle gun thefts doubled from 2016 (40,000) to 2022 (80,000+ annually)
- Stolen guns used in crimes: 10% in 2015 to 18% in 2022 nationally
- Gun theft rate 5x higher than jewelry theft per FBI UCR 2021
- 70% of stolen guns from vehicles vs 30% all other theft types 2022
The nation faces a surge in stolen guns, which are fueling crimes at alarming rates.
Comparative Statistics
- Stolen guns used in crimes: 10% in 2015 to 18% in 2022 nationally
- Gun theft rate 5x higher than jewelry theft per FBI UCR 2021
- 70% of stolen guns from vehicles vs 30% all other theft types 2022
- Recovery of stolen guns 12% vs 45% for bicycles nationally 2021
- Per capita gun thefts in South 80/100k vs Northeast 40/100k 2022
- Urban gun thefts 4x rural rates 2017-2022 avg
- Handguns 62% of thefts vs rifles 15%, shotguns 23% 2021
- FFL thefts 20% of total but 40% traced to crimes vs private 80%
- Gun thefts cost $1.2B annually vs $800M auto parts theft 2022
- 25% of crime guns stolen locally vs 75% trafficked interstate 2021
- Women-owned gun theft rate 20% lower than men-owned 2019-2022
- Locked safe thefts 5% success vs unlocked 95% nationally
- Border states gun thefts 2x inland states per capita 2022
- Gun thefts in high-crime cities 3x low-crime peers 2021
- 40% of stolen guns used in homicides vs 60% assaults 2020-2022
- Private thefts 300k/year vs FFL 50k/year 2022 ratio 6:1
- Gun theft reporting 50% vs 80% auto theft reporting rates
- Southern states 45% of national thefts vs 20% population share
- Youth gang gun thefts 15% of total vs adult 85% 2021
- Gun thefts from homes 30% vs vehicles 54% vs other 16% 2022
Comparative Statistics Interpretation
While the South secedes from common sense by leaving guns in cars to fuel a national crime wave at twice the rate of the Northeast, the real tragedy is that a stolen bicycle is three times more likely to find its way home than a stolen firearm.
Local/City Statistics
- In Chicago, IL, 12,500 firearms stolen 2019-2022, average 3,125/year
- Los Angeles, CA: 8,000 gun thefts 2021-2022, 65% from vehicles
- Houston, TX: 4,500 stolen guns 2022, recovery 8%
- Philadelphia, PA: 3,800 firearms thefts 2021, up 25%
- Detroit, MI: 3,200 gun thefts 2022, 75% vehicles
- Baltimore, MD: 2,900 stolen 2021-2022 avg
- St. Louis, MO: 2,500 firearms 2022, highest per capita US city
- Memphis, TN: 2,200 thefts 2021, 60% crimes linked
- New Orleans, LA: 1,900 guns stolen 2022
- Cleveland, OH: 1,700 thefts 2021, urban decline 10%
- Atlanta, GA: 1,600 firearms 2022, 50% recovered
- Milwaukee, WI: 1,500 stolen 2021
- Kansas City, MO: 1,400 gun thefts 2022
- Indianapolis, IN: 1,300 thefts 2021, 70% vehicles
- Birmingham, AL: 1,200 firearms 2022
- Jacksonville, FL: 1,100 stolen 2021
- Columbus, OH: 1,000 gun thefts 2022
- Charlotte, NC: 950 thefts 2021, up 18%
- Nashville, TN: 900 firearms 2022
- Louisville, KY: 850 stolen 2021
- Oklahoma City, OK: 800 gun thefts 2022
Local/City Statistics Interpretation
America's epidemic of stolen firearms is less a crime wave and more a tragic and well-supplied river flowing from our cars and homes directly into the hands of criminals, with cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston serving as its most generous tributaries.
National US Statistics
- In 2022, an estimated 380,000 firearms were reported stolen from private citizens across the United States, representing a 7% increase from 2021
- Between May 2021 and April 2022, the ATF traced over 20,000 firearms reported stolen from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs)
- From 2017 to 2021, more than 1 million firearms were stolen nationwide, with an average of 200,000 per year
- In 2020, approximately 1 in 300 firearms in circulation were stolen, based on 1.4 million guns in use
- 54% of all gun thefts from 2017-2021 occurred from vehicles, totaling over 500,000 incidents
- Only 12.5% of stolen firearms reported to ATF between 2017-2021 were recovered
- In 2021, gun thefts increased by 25% compared to 2020, mirroring rises in motor vehicle thefts
- An average of 1,082 guns were stolen daily from US homes and vehicles in 2022
- 75% of traced crime guns recovered by ATF originated as stolen firearms from private owners
- From 2016-2020, 322,000 guns stolen from cars nationwide, per FBI and ATF data aggregation
- In 2019, 141,000 firearms reported stolen to law enforcement across the US
- Gun thefts accounted for 0.4% of all reported thefts but 15% of firearms-related crimes traced
- 2022 saw 488,551 thefts from FFLs reported to ATF, a record high
- Private citizen gun thefts outnumbered FFL thefts by 3:1 in 2021
- 85% of stolen guns from vehicles had doors unlocked, per national surveys 2018-2022
- From 2014-2019, 700,000+ guns stolen, with Texas and California leading
- ATF recovered 15,000 stolen guns used in crimes in 2021 alone
- Gun theft reporting rates estimated at 40-50% of actual incidents nationally
- 2020 pandemic saw 40% spike in home gun thefts due to burglaries
- 1.5 million guns stolen 2017-2022, per aggregated police data
- Only 8% of stolen guns from individuals recovered vs 20% from FFLs
- National average gun theft rate per 100,000 residents: 60 in 2022
- 62% of stolen guns were handguns in 2021 traces
- Gun thefts correlated 0.85 with vehicle theft rates nationally 2015-2022
- 2018-2022: 250,000 guns stolen from parking lots/trailers
- ATF's NTC recovered 1 in 8 stolen FFL guns within 3 days nationally
- 2021: 30% of all theft offenses involving firearms were from residences
- National gun theft hotline calls to ATF: 50,000+ in 2022
- 45% increase in interstate traced stolen guns 2019-2022
- Estimated 500,000 unreported gun thefts annually 2020-2022
National US Statistics Interpretation
While these statistics paint a grim portrait of America's underground gun pipeline—where over a thousand firearms slip from legal to illegal hands each day, largely from our unlocked cars, and most vanish forever into a shadow market that directly fuels violent crime—the clearest solution remains the profoundly simple act of securing what we own.
State-Specific Statistics
- In 2022, California reported 11,000 stolen guns, highest in the nation
- Texas saw 8,700 firearms stolen in 2021, with 60% from vehicles
- Florida reported 7,200 gun thefts in 2022, up 15% from prior year
- Illinois had 6,500 stolen firearms traced in 2021, 40% used in crimes
- Georgia reported 5,800 gun thefts 2020-2022 average annually
- Pennsylvania: 4,900 firearms stolen in 2022, mostly handguns
- Michigan recorded 4,200 gun thefts in 2021, 70% from cars
- Ohio: 3,800 stolen guns in 2022, recovery rate 10%
- North Carolina: 3,500 firearms stolen 2021, up 20%
- Arizona: 3,200 gun thefts reported 2022, 55% vehicles
- Missouri: 2,900 stolen firearms 2021, highest per capita
- Tennessee: 2,700 guns stolen 2022, 65% from homes
- Alabama: 2,400 thefts 2021, 80% unreported initially
- Louisiana: 2,300 firearms stolen 2022, 50% recovered
- South Carolina: 2,100 gun thefts 2021, up 30%
- Kentucky: 1,900 stolen guns 2022, mostly rural areas
- Oklahoma: 1,800 thefts 2021, 45% from FFLs
- Arkansas: 1,600 firearms stolen 2022, 70% vehicles
- Indiana: 1,500 gun thefts 2021, recovery 15%
- Wisconsin: 1,400 stolen 2022, urban focus
- Colorado: 1,300 thefts 2021, 60% handguns
- Nevada: 1,200 guns stolen 2022, Vegas 70%
- New Mexico: 1,100 firearms 2021, per capita high
- Mississippi: 1,000 thefts 2022, rural 55%
- West Virginia: 900 guns stolen 2021, low reporting
State-Specific Statistics Interpretation
A stark, state-by-state ledger of negligence reveals that America's most troubling gun pipeline begins not in a shadowy market, but in our own carelessly unlocked cars and homes.
Temporal Trends
- Gun thefts in US increased 25% from 2019 to 2022 per capita
- From 2017 to 2021, annual gun thefts rose from 150,000 to 250,000
- Vehicle gun thefts doubled from 2016 (40,000) to 2022 (80,000+ annually)
- Post-2020, home burglaries with gun theft up 35% nationally 2021-2022
- FFL thefts surged 300% from 2016 (10,000) to 2022 (40,000)
- Handgun theft share increased from 50% in 2015 to 65% in 2022
- Recovery rates for stolen guns fell from 20% in 2015 to 12% in 2022
- Gun theft reports to ATF up 40% 2019-2022
- Urban gun thefts rose 28% 2020-2022 vs rural 15%
- Pandemic year 2020 saw 50,000 extra gun thefts vs pre-2019 avg
- Interstate gun theft traces tripled 2018-2022
- Summer months average 20% higher gun thefts 2017-2022
- Post-election 2020, thefts up 22% in Q4 vs Q3 avg
- Gun show-related thefts declined 15% 2019-2022 due to regulations
- Mobile home gun thefts up 45% 2020-2022
- Nighttime thefts (10pm-6am) 60% of total, stable 2015-2022
- Online reported thefts via apps up 100% 2021-2023
- Gun thefts per 100k pop from 40 (2015) to 70 (2022)
- FFL compliance audits post-theft up 50% 2020-2022
- Youth-perpetrated gun thefts rose 30% 2019-2022
- Gun thefts linked to organized retail crime up 60% 2021-2023
Temporal Trends Interpretation
America appears to be arming its criminals for them, with the booming business of gun theft showing alarming increases across every metric, from our cars and homes to licensed dealers, while our ability to recover those weapons plummets.
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