Gun Thefts From Cars - The Largest Source of Stolen Guns

9/5/24, 17:44 Gun Thefts from Cars: The Largest Source of Stolen Guns | Everytown Research & Policy
REPORT
Gun Thefts from Cars: The Largest

Source of Stolen Guns
By: Jay Szkola, Megan J. O’Toole, Sarah Burd-Sharps
5.9.2024
Key Findings
In cities that report crime data to the FBI:
On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States.
The rate of gun thefts from cars is triple what it was a decade ago. This includes both
consistent increases nearly every year over the decade and a marked spike during the
pandemic.
A decade ago, roughly a quarter of gun thefts were from cars; in 2022, over half were.
Cars parked at residences (in driveways, outside homes, etc.) are the most common source of
stolen guns, demonstrating the importance of securely storing guns at all times and locations.
Cities in states with the weakest gun safety laws see nearly 18 times the rate of gun thefts
from cars as those in states with the strongest gun laws.
Memphis, Tennessee—the city with the highest rate of guns stolen from cars—had over 3,000
gun thefts from vehicles in 2022. A range of cities in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey,
and Rhode Island, reported zero gun thefts from cars.
On July 22, 2021, a gun was stolen from an unlocked car in Riverside,
Florida. Twelve days later, the gun was used in the murder of a 27-year-old
US Coast Guard member as she attempted to intervene in a neighborhood
car burglary. 1
https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-thefts-from-cars-the-largest-source-of-stolen-guns-2/ 1/12
Explore Trends in Gun Thefts From Cars By City

Select a City: Memphis, TN
350.0
300.0
Incidents of gun thefts from cars per 100,000 people
250.0
200.0
150.0
100.0
50.0
0.0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2013–2022. Note: Includes 159 small to large cities
located in over half of US states. FBI NIBRS
Introduction
The majority of gun homicides and assaults involve stolen or illegal guns. 2 But where do these guns come
from, and how are they getting into dangerous hands? Research from Everytown for Gun Safety Support
Fund finds that in cities that report data to the FBI, gun thefts from cars are the largest source of stolen
guns.
In order to understand the scope of the problem, Everytown analyzed crime data from 337 small- to large-
size cities across 44 states—covering roughly 63 million people—obtained from the FBI’s National
Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). 3 Analyses revealed that in 2022, nearly 112,000 guns were
reported stolen in these cities. 4 This is likely a conservative estimate since only a third of US states legally
require reporting of lost and stolen guns to law enforcement, and thus thousands of missing guns go
unreported annually. 5 While guns can be stolen in a variety of ways and places (e.g., from people’s houses
or from gun shops, or individuals directly), in 2022, just over half (51 percent) were stolen from cars. 6 This
amounted to nearly 62,000 guns stolen from cars in 2022 across these 337 cities. 7
Why do guns stolen from cars merit attention?
The principal reason is that these stolen guns are
often used in other crimes. Local leaders and law
enforcement periodically raise public awareness
9
On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car
about the importance of always storing guns every nine minutes in the United States.
securely in cars and locking car doors. And
companies sell gun safes for every model of car Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities,…
and truck on the road. But with an average of at
least one gun stolen from a car every nine
minutes, 8 there is more we must be doing. This report examines trends in gun thefts from cars, explores
the role that gun safety laws can play in reducing these thefts, and highlights the policies and practices
that can prevent guns from passing from legal hands into the illegal firearms market.
Why Are Gun Thefts From Cars On The Rise?

The rate of gun thefts from cars across FBI-reporting cities tripled over the past decade, rising from an
estimated 21.0 thefts per 100,000 people in 2013 to 63.1 per 100,000 in 2022. 9 Over this time, there were
fairly consistent annual increases, and a spike of 51 percent during the pandemic. There has also been a
major change in where guns have been stolen from over the past decade. 10 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. 11 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.
A DECADE AGO, A QUARTER OF GUN THEFTS WERE FROM CARS. IN 2022, OVER HALF WERE.
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 159 cities, 2013–2022.
More research is needed to understand all of the factors that are driving this increase. This data does,
however, provide some insights. This trend doesn’t seem to be associated with an increase in thefts from
vehicles overall. In fact, the rate of thefts from vehicles overall has decreased 11 percent over the past
decade in cities that report data to the FBI while the rate of thefts of guns from vehicles soared over 200
percent. 12 Second, the rise in gun thefts from cars is not likely associated with cars now being parked in
different or more dangerous types of locations either. Over the past 10 years, 36 percent of car gun thefts
in these 159 cities have occurred at people’s residences, whether in the driveway or near the home of the
gun owner or others. 13
Download
RESIDENCES ARE THE LEADING LOCATION OF GUN THEFTS
FROM CARS
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 159 cities, 2013–2022.
In cities located in states with the weakest gun safety laws, the rate of gun thefts from cars is nearly 18
times higher than those in states with the strongest laws. 14 In many of these cities, 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. 15 Four out of the five cities with the highest rates of gun thefts from cars are
in states with particularly weak gun laws. In Memphis, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia, there were an
estimated 3,315 and 2,499 guns stolen from cars in 2022, respectively. 16 Both states have weak gun safety
laws. This is in marked contrast to the 12 cities with zero guns reported stolen from cars in 2022, like
Yonkers in New York; Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, and Waltham in Massachusetts; and Elizabeth in
New Jersey—all in states that lead the nation in the strength of their gun safety laws. 17
A clear example of the importance of CITIES WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF GUNS STOLEN FROM CARS IN 2022
state policies can be seen in Tennessee.
City Rate per 100,000 people
Memphis, Tennessee, has the highest
rate of gun theft from cars of any 1. Memphis, TN 351
American city reported to the FBI. 18 2. Atlanta, GA 337
Relative to cities outside the state, cities 3. St. Louis, MO 288
in Tennessee experienced a sharper
increase in their rate of gun thefts from 4. Richmond, VA 218
cars over the past decade, leading them 5. San Antonio, TX 209
to have a higher rate today. 19
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2022.
Explore Rates of Gun Thefts From Cars in 2022

Spokane, WA
Cincinnati, OH
Abilene, TX
Conroe, TX
Waco, TX
Durham, NC
Albuquerque, NM
Corpus Christi, TX
Gulfport, MS
Clarksville, TN
Dayton, OH
Missoula, MT
Killeen, TX
Cleveland, OH
Winston Salem, NC
Lexington, KY
Independence, MO
Fort Worth, TX
Spokane Valley, WA
Fort Smith, AR
Saint Cloud, MN
Denver, CO
Fayetteville, AR
Tyler, TX
Salt Lake City, UT
Murfreesboro, TN
Lake Charles, LA
Saint Joseph, MO
Edmond, OK
Arlington, TX
Irving, TX
Akron, OH
Asheville, NC
Virginia Beach, VA
0 50 100 150 200
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022.
The trends of gun theft from cars in cities inside and outside of Tennessee show a very similar progression
prior to 2013, but the rates of gun thefts from cars in Tennessee dramatically increased after 2013. 20 Why?
In 2013, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law that allowed handgun carry permit holders to store their
firearms in parked vehicles. 21 By 2014, they allowed all legal gun owners to do the same. 22 Incidents of
gun theft from vehicles in Tennessee cities since these laws were passed are nearly triple what they were
during the prior decade. 23 Since 2013, more than 29,000 firearms have been stolen from vehicles
statewide, according to a News Channel 5 Nashville analysis. 24 During this same period, gun homicides
increased 85 percent in Tennessee, well surpassing the already unacceptable US trend on gun homicide. 25
GUN THEFTS FROM CARS ROSE STARKLY IN TENNESSEE’S CITIES
Source: Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 84 cities, 2003–2022. Note: The vertical line denotes the
first year that Tennessee relaxed its laws on storing firearms in vehicles.
Solutions
The rate of gun thefts from cars has soared over the past decade and there’s strong evidence that the
majority of gun homicides–especially those in cities–involve illegal guns, with theft being one source. 26
So every gun stolen from a car increases the chances it could be used in a violent crime.
The hopeful news is that we can all play a role in preventing the diversion of guns from the legal market
and from ending up behind yellow tape at crime scenes. What are the solutions?
Most immediately, gun owners must always lock their vehicles and secure their guns in those
vehicles so that they are not visible. There is a gun safe for sale for every make and model of vehicle
and devices that make it easier to securely store guns.
Local elected officials, community leaders, law enforcement, and others must support public
awareness campaigns on how to prevent thefts from cars and the acts of violence that can follow.
Proactive efforts are underway in a number of cities. In San Antonio, Texas, a nonprofit alliance is
raising funds to purchase and distribute car gun safes. 27 Police in Hoover, Alabama, have reported
success with their “Lock It or Lose It” public awareness campaign. 28 In some areas, police
departments are working with the ATF or the FBI to produce public service announcements, other
agencies are making flyers and handouts to raise awareness and are encouraging gun owners to
make their cars less visible targets by removing decals or bumper stickers indicating a firearm may
be in the vehicle. And the Be SMART program promotes secure storage nationwide to help parents,
caretakers, and community leaders have the knowledge and conversations to keep our communities
safe.
Legislators at all levels must pass laws that are proven to help prevent these thefts. The highest-
priority policies are, first, laws that require guns to be securely stored and not visible when left
unattended in cars. States including California, Connecticut, and Oregon have done so and can
serve as examples. 29 Second, immediate, mandatory reporting of lost and stolen guns enables law
enforcement to investigate the theft and any possible gun trafficking, and allows us to better
understand where and when these incidents are happening to help focus prevention efforts.
Research has shown that these reporting laws can reduce illegal gun movements by 46 percent
compared to states without this law. 30
We know how to prevent these incidents and to save families and communities from the heartbreak and
long-lasting trauma of the violence that can result. Now is the time for action.
Everytown Research & Policy is a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an independent, non-partisan
organization dedicated to understanding and reducing gun violence. Everytown Research & Policy works to do so by
conducting methodologically rigorous research, supporting evidence-based policies, and communicating this
knowledge to the American public.
AUTHORS
Jay Szkola Megan J. O’Toole
Jason Szkola is the Data Scientist at Everytown for Gun Meg is Deputy Director of Research at Everytown for
Safety. Dr. Szkola’s primary expertise is in community Gun Safety, where her work focuses on city gun
violence intervention (CVI) programs and quantitative violence, violence intervention programs, and police
methodology. In addition to his doctorate in Criminal violence. Prior to joining Everytown, she worked at the
Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Dr. Vera Institute of Justice, John Jay’s Research and
Szkola also holds his Master’s in Social Work degree Evaluation Center, Columbia School of Social Work, and
from New York University and has an intimate the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Meg holds
knowledge of community based violence intervention a PhD in psychology and law from John Jay College of
programming across a variety of program models Criminal Justice, where she also serves as an adjunct
through his work as a practitioner-researcher. Dr. Szkola professor.
has worked with community violence intervention
programs and their associated policy makers for the last
decade.
Sarah Burd-Sharps
Sarah combines her background of work on poverty,
gender equity, and economic empowerment at the UN
and the Social Science Research Council to lead
Everytown’s research department. Sarah is co-author of
two volumes of The Measure of America (Columbia
University Press, 2008 and NYU Press, 2010) and
pioneering work on youth disconnection. At Everytown,
she has co-authored four peer-reviewed journal articles
and countless reports and appears regularly in the
media to help shape the conversation about our gun
violence epidemic.
1 Corley Peel, “Gun Stolen from Car in Riverside Entered into Evidence in Coast Guard Member’s Murder,” WJXT,
August 18, 2021, https://bit.ly/3IhsrCw.
2 Anthony Fabio et al., “Gaps Continue in Firearm Surveillance: Evidence from a Large U.S. City Bureau of Police,”
Social Medicine 10, no. 1 (2016): 13–21, https://socialmedicine.info/index.php/socialmedicine/article/view/852; Daniel
C. Semenza et al., “Firearm Availability, Homicide, and the Context of Structural Disadvantage,” Homicide Studies
(September 2021): 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679211043806.
3 Everytown Research analysis of FBI National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, 2003–2022, and
American Community Survey (ACS) population data, 2022, accessed January 2024. Analysis used data from all cities
with both a population of 65,000+ people and complete 2022 data (i.e., 12 months of data reported). The 337 cities
were located in 44 states: AL (3), AR (6), AZ (9), CA (6), CO (17), CT (8), DE (1), GA (6), IA (9), ID (3), IL (11), IN (8), KS (3),
KY (2), LA (3), MA (16), ME (1), MI (16), MN (13), MO (9), MS (1), MT (2), NC (14), ND (2), NE (1), NH (2), NJ (3), NM (1), NV
(5), NY (5), OH (9), OK (6), OR (8), PA (2), RI (4), SC (5), SD (2), TN (9), TX (56), UT (9), VA (11), WA (19), WI (10), WY (1). Of
those cities, 159 cities in 27 states submitted 10 years (2013–2022) of complete data and were included in longitudinal
analyses. An additional analysis was done on cities that submitted 20 years (2003–2022) worth of complete data, of
which there were 84 cities in 17 states.
4 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022, and ACS population data, 2022, accessed
January 2024. Overall gun thefts include those from cars, pickpocketing, purse-snatching, shoplifting, buildings, and
all other types of larceny, robbery, and burglary. Gun theft incident counts were multiplied by the average number of
guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al. 2017 & Cook 2018). David Hemenway, Deborah Azrael, and
Matthew Miller, “Whose Guns Are Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims,” Injury Epidemiology 4, no. 1
(December 2017): 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-017-0109-8; Philip J. Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime,” Journal of
Urban Health 95 (2018): 305–12, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-018-0253-7.
5 Fabio et al., “Gaps Continue in Firearm Surveillance;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
6 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 159 cities, 2013–2022, and ACS population data, 2013–2022,
accessed January 2024.
January 2024. An incident of gun theft from a vehicle is defined as an incident where there was a theft from a vehicle
and a firearm was listed among the property stolen. Gun theft incident counts were multiplied by the average number
of guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al., 2017 & Cook, 2018). Hemenway et al., “Whose Guns Are
Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
8 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022, accessed January 2024.
accessed January 2024. The rate of gun theft from cars was 39.9 in 2019, prior to the pandemic, and 60.2 in 2021, the
last full year of the pandemic.
12 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 159 cities, 2013–2022, accessed January 2024. Other gun theft
locations include roads (20 percent), parking lots (32 percent), and other/unknown (12 percent). Over the entire 10-year
period the percentage of incidents where the gun was stolen from a car at a residence ranged from 29 percent to 40
percent, and in total 36 percent of incidents (35,602 / 98,821) occurred at a residence.
percent. Over the entire 10-year period 36 percent of incidents (35,602 / 98,821) occurred at a residence.
14 There is a significant negative correlation (r = –0.354, p < 0.000) between the strength of gun laws as measured by
Everytown’s 2024 Gun Law Rankings, and the rate of incidents of gun theft from cars in the 337 cities that reported
data to the FBI in 2022. In 2022, the rate for cities in states with the weakest gun laws—called “National Failures”—is
81.3 thefts per 100,000 people. Cities in states with the strongest laws—the “National Leaders”—have a rate of 4.6,
which is 17.7 times higher than the National Failures.
15 Terry Schell et al., “State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership,” RAND Corporation, April 22, 2020,
https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/gun-ownership.html.
16 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022, accessed January 2024. Gun theft incident
counts were multiplied by the average number of guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al., “Whose
Guns Are Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
17 The complete list of cities with zero gun thefts from cars in 2022 is as follows: Brockton, MA, Cambridge, MA,
Haverhill, MA, Lawrence, MA, Quincy, MA, Somerville, MA, Waltham, MA, Newton, MA, Elizabeth, NJ, Yonkers, NY,
Pawtucket, RI, and Janesville, WI.
18 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022; Jessica Jaglois, “2,100 Guns Stolen from Cars in
Memphis in 2023, a Slight Decrease Year to Year,” Action News 5, January 25, 2024,
https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/01/26/2100-guns-stolen-cars-memphis-2023-slight-decrease-year-to-year/.
19 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2003–2022; American Community Survey (ACS) population data,
2010–2022 and Census Intercensal Population Estimates, 2000–2009, accessed January 2024. Analysis used data
from all cities with both a population of 65,000+ people and 12 months of data reported each year across the 2003–
2022 data. Analysis includes nine cities in Tennessee (Chattanooga, Clarksville, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson City,
Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro, and Nashville) compared to 75 cities in 17 other states. States with cities included
are: AR (1), CO (7), CT (1), DE (1), IA (7), ID (3), KS (1), MA (4), MI (10), ND (1), OH (4), OR (1), SC (5), TX (11), UT (7), VA (11).
Incident and population data for the reporting cities in Tennessee were combined to create an overall rate. The same
process was used for cities outside of Tennessee to create the non-Tennessee cities group.
20 Anita Wadhwani, “Gun Thefts from Cars up 85 Percent in Two Years in Tennessee, Some Police Blame Laws,” The
Tennessean, February 17, 2019, https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/17/gun-laws-tennessee-thefts-cars-
up/2871666002/.
21 Tennessee Senate Bill 142 (2013).
23 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2003–2022. From 2003 to 2012, there were 6,867 incidents of gun
theft from vehicles, compared to 20,431 from 2015 to 2022, 2.98 times as high as from 2003–2012.
24 Phil Williams, “Revealed: Nearly 30,000 Firearms Stolen from Vehicles since Tennessee GOP Relax Gun Laws,”
News Channel 5 Nashville, January 30, 2024, https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-
investigates/revealed/revealed-nearly-30-000-firearms-stolen-from-vehicles-since-tennessee-gop-relaxed-gun-laws.
25 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, WONDER Online Database,
Underlying Cause of Death. Percent change in age-adjusted rate: 2013 vs. 2022. Homicide includes shootings by
police.
26 Guns stolen from gun dealers and private people are the third most common form of trafficked gun after unlicensed
dealers and straw purchasers. ATF National Firearm Commerce and Trafficking Assessment Volume III Part V,
2024. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-iii-part-v/download
27 Andrew Moore, “How Drivers Can Secure Their Firearms in Their Vehicles, Avoid Having Guns Stolen,” KENS 5,
December 26, 2023, https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/criminals-stole-guns-from-vehicles-how-you-can-
avoid-having-your-gun-stolen/273-db20fef2-3cc3-4ffd-b879-509b33b6b711.
28 Aajene Robinson, “Hoover PD Launches ‘Lock It or Lose It’ Campaign to Ensure a Safer Community,” WBRC,
October 4, 2023, https://www.wbrc.com/2023/10/04/hoover-pd-launches-lock-it-or-lose-it-campaign-ensure-safer-
community/.
29 Cal. Penal Code § 25140; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38g; O.R.S. § 166.395(1)(b)(B).
30 Leo H. Kahane, “Understanding the Interstate Export of Crime Guns: A Gravity Model Approach,” Contemporary
Economic Policy 31, no. 3 (2013): 618–34, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-7287.2012.00324.x.
1 Corley Peel, “Gun Stolen from Car in Riverside Entered into Evidence in Coast Guard Member’s Murder,” WJXT,
August 18, 2021, https://bit.ly/3IhsrCw.
2 Anthony Fabio et al., “Gaps Continue in Firearm Surveillance: Evidence from a Large U.S. City Bureau of Police,”
Social Medicine 10, no. 1 (2016): 13–21, https://socialmedicine.info/index.php/socialmedicine/article/view/852; Daniel
C. Semenza et al., “Firearm Availability, Homicide, and the Context of Structural Disadvantage,” Homicide Studies
(September 2021): 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679211043806.
3 Everytown Research analysis of FBI National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, 2003–2022, and
American Community Survey (ACS) population data, 2022, accessed January 2024. Analysis used data from all cities
with both a population of 65,000+ people and complete 2022 data (i.e., 12 months of data reported). The 337 cities
were located in 44 states: AL (3), AR (6), AZ (9), CA (6), CO (17), CT (8), DE (1), GA (6), IA (9), ID (3), IL (11), IN (8), KS (3),
KY (2), LA (3), MA (16), ME (1), MI (16), MN (13), MO (9), MS (1), MT (2), NC (14), ND (2), NE (1), NH (2), NJ (3), NM (1), NV
(5), NY (5), OH (9), OK (6), OR (8), PA (2), RI (4), SC (5), SD (2), TN (9), TX (56), UT (9), VA (11), WA (19), WI (10), WY (1). Of
those cities, 159 cities in 27 states submitted 10 years (2013–2022) of complete data and were included in longitudinal
analyses. An additional analysis was done on cities that submitted 20 years (2003–2022) worth of complete data, of
which there were 84 cities in 17 states.
January 2024. Overall gun thefts include those from cars, pickpocketing, purse-snatching, shoplifting, buildings, and
all other types of larceny, robbery, and burglary. Gun theft incident counts were multiplied by the average number of
guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al. 2017 & Cook 2018). David Hemenway, Deborah Azrael, and
Matthew Miller, “Whose Guns Are Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims,” Injury Epidemiology 4, no. 1
(December 2017): 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-017-0109-8; Philip J. Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime,” Journal of
Urban Health 95 (2018): 305–12, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-018-0253-7.
5 Fabio et al., “Gaps Continue in Firearm Surveillance;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
January 2024. An incident of gun theft from a vehicle is defined as an incident where there was a theft from a vehicle
and a firearm was listed among the property stolen. Gun theft incident counts were multiplied by the average number
of guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al., 2017 & Cook, 2018). Hemenway et al., “Whose Guns Are
Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
8 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022, accessed January 2024.
accessed January 2024. The rate of gun theft from cars was 39.9 in 2019, prior to the pandemic, and 60.2 in 2021, the
last full year of the pandemic.
percent, and in total 36 percent of incidents (35,602 / 98,821) occurred at a residence.
percent. Over the entire 10-year period 36 percent of incidents (35,602 / 98,821) occurred at a residence.
14 There is a significant negative correlation (r = –0.354, p < 0.000) between the strength of gun laws as measured by
Everytown’s 2024 Gun Law Rankings, and the rate of incidents of gun theft from cars in the 337 cities that reported
data to the FBI in 2022. In 2022, the rate for cities in states with the weakest gun laws—called “National Failures”—is
81.3 thefts per 100,000 people. Cities in states with the strongest laws—the “National Leaders”—have a rate of 4.6,
which is 17.7 times higher than the National Failures.
15 Terry Schell et al., “State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership,” RAND Corporation, April 22, 2020,
https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/gun-ownership.html.
16 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022, accessed January 2024. Gun theft incident
counts were multiplied by the average number of guns stolen per gun theft incident (1.5, per Hemenway et al., “Whose
Guns Are Stolen? The Epidemiology of Gun Theft Victims;” Cook, “Gun Theft and Crime.”
17 The complete list of cities with zero gun thefts from cars in 2022 is as follows: Brockton, MA, Cambridge, MA,
Haverhill, MA, Lawrence, MA, Quincy, MA, Somerville, MA, Waltham, MA, Newton, MA, Elizabeth, NJ, Yonkers, NY,
Pawtucket, RI, and Janesville, WI.
18 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data of 337 cities, 2022; Jessica Jaglois, “2,100 Guns Stolen from Cars in
Memphis in 2023, a Slight Decrease Year to Year,” Action News 5, January 25, 2024,
https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/01/26/2100-guns-stolen-cars-memphis-2023-slight-decrease-year-to-year/.
19 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2003–2022; American Community Survey (ACS) population data,
2010–2022 and Census Intercensal Population Estimates, 2000–2009, accessed January 2024. Analysis used data
from all cities with both a population of 65,000+ people and 12 months of data reported each year across the 2003–
2022 data. Analysis includes nine cities in Tennessee (Chattanooga, Clarksville, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson City,
Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro, and Nashville) compared to 75 cities in 17 other states. States with cities included
are: AR (1), CO (7), CT (1), DE (1), IA (7), ID (3), KS (1), MA (4), MI (10), ND (1), OH (4), OR (1), SC (5), TX (11), UT (7), VA (11).
Incident and population data for the reporting cities in Tennessee were combined to create an overall rate. The same
process was used for cities outside of Tennessee to create the non-Tennessee cities group.
20 Anita Wadhwani, “Gun Thefts from Cars up 85 Percent in Two Years in Tennessee, Some Police Blame Laws,” The
Tennessean, February 17, 2019, https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/17/gun-laws-tennessee-thefts-cars-
up/2871666002/.
23 Everytown Research analysis of FBI NIBRS data, 2003–2022. From 2003 to 2012, there were 6,867 incidents of gun
theft from vehicles, compared to 20,431 from 2015 to 2022, 2.98 times as high as from 2003–2012.
24 Phil Williams, “Revealed: Nearly 30,000 Firearms Stolen from Vehicles since Tennessee GOP Relax Gun Laws,”
News Channel 5 Nashville, January 30, 2024, https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-
investigates/revealed/revealed-nearly-30-000-firearms-stolen-from-vehicles-since-tennessee-gop-relaxed-gun-laws.
25 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, WONDER Online Database,
Underlying Cause of Death. Percent change in age-adjusted rate: 2013 vs. 2022. Homicide includes shootings by
police.
26 Guns stolen from gun dealers and private people are the third most common form of trafficked gun after unlicensed
dealers and straw purchasers. ATF National Firearm Commerce and Trafficking Assessment Volume III Part V,
2024. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-iii-part-v/download
27 Andrew Moore, “How Drivers Can Secure Their Firearms in Their Vehicles, Avoid Having Guns Stolen,” KENS 5,
December 26, 2023, https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/criminals-stole-guns-from-vehicles-how-you-can-
avoid-having-your-gun-stolen/273-db20fef2-3cc3-4ffd-b879-509b33b6b711.
28 Aajene Robinson, “Hoover PD Launches ‘Lock It or Lose It’ Campaign to Ensure a Safer Community,” WBRC,
October 4, 2023, https://www.wbrc.com/2023/10/04/hoover-pd-launches-lock-it-or-lose-it-campaign-ensure-safer-
community/.
29 Cal. Penal Code § 25140; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38g; O.R.S. § 166.395(1)(b)(B).
30 Leo H. Kahane, “Understanding the Interstate Export of Crime Guns: A Gravity Model Approach,” Contemporary
Economic Policy 31, no. 3 (2013): 618–34, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-7287.2012.00324.x.

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9/5/24, 17:44 Gun Thefts from Cars: The Largest Source of Stolen Guns | Everytown Research & Policy

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