America's Stolen Guns: A Silent Contribution to Gun Crime in the USA (2024)

The problem of gun theft is exacerbated by low crime detection rates and a lack of police officers to combat growing crime in cities.

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The gun problem in America is primarily caused by stolen firearms, as it is rare for lawful gun owners to commit crimes. However, being a victim of gun theft is a unique situation in America, as victims are often accused of being at the mercy of criminals.

Important points:

• Between 2017 and 2021, 1,074,022 firearms were reported stolen in the United States, an average of 200,000 per year.
• More guns were stolen in 2017 than in 2021, even though gun sales increased across the country in 2021.
• 85.9% of those who owned a firearm at the time of committing their crime did not purchase or obtain the weapon from a licensed dealer.
• Firearm homicides are largely associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and poor parenting.

The data provided provides a comprehensive look at stolen guns in the United States and highlights ways to improve crime prevention through meaningful action. For a detailed list of our sources, see the comprehensive list here.

Information on stolen weapons in America

Between 2017 and 2021, a total of 1,074,022 firearms were reported stolen in the United States, an average of about 200,000 per year. However, these numbers are estimates, as criminals typically do not report their illegal activities to law enforcement for research purposes.

While this number may seem extraordinarily high, in reality less than a fraction (just 0.042%) of privately owned firearms in the United States are stolen each year, so it's safe to assume that the vast majority of gun owners actually take precautions to prevent thieves from getting their hands on their property.

In America, stolen guns are used in a far higher number of crimes than legally acquired firearms. However, many stolen guns are never used in crimes.

Diagnosing gun theft is difficult due to reporting problems, but according to an Everytown study based on FBI data that is no longer available, gun theft from vehicles surpassed gun theft from burglaries beginning in 2014, years before many states passed open-carry laws.

When a thief steals a firearm from an unsuspecting victim, it is nearly impossible to track down until it is recovered after a crime or the police discover it during a traffic stop.

Here's what you need to know about stolen guns in America:

ATF Firearm Theft Report 2021 and Everytown-Article.” width=”600″ height=”242″/>

Stolen weapons used in crimes

Only 10% of stolen guns are used in crimes each year, but 43.2% of criminals who used a firearm in committing a crime purchased it from an illegal dealer. In addition, 20% of inmates who committed a crime with a firearm reportedly purchased the firearm for the sole purpose of committing a crime.

Despite all the rhetoric about gun shows, firearms purchased at gun shows are the least likely to be used in crimes (0.8%), and guns purchased by the offender from an FFL dealer are used in only 1.3% of crimes.

Overall, 85.9% of those who owned a firearm at the time of their crimes did not purchase or receive it from a licensed dealer. Combined with what we already know about stolen guns, it's safe to say that thieves contribute to gun crime in America. [Citation: Source and Use of Firearms in Crimes: Survey of Prison Inmates in 2016]

Contrary to some beliefs, the number of legal gun owners, state and federal laws, and the number of legal guns do not lead to an increase in the murder rate. However, there is a clear correlation between the frequency of stolen guns and an increased murder rate.

A 2021 study examined possible relationships between the number of FFL dealers, large department stores that sell firearms, poverty, race, policing and disadvantaged individuals, and murder rates to better understand the relationship between guns and crime.

The study showed that the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of illegal availability of firearms in areas with high gun crime was higher than that of legal availability of firearms. In addition, areas with more disadvantaged individuals also had higher rates of firearm crime.

Therefore, gun theft and socioeconomic disadvantages create an environment that leads to victims of gun crime despite strict legal restrictions and the legal availability of firearms.

Weapons and socioeconomic disadvantages

According to a 2021 study, 87% of 330 people ages 16 to 24 in disadvantaged neighborhoods carried firearms. 82% said they carry guns because it makes them feel powerful, 77% cited personal safety, and 26% said they felt respected for owning a firearm.

Now that we know the connection between high-crime areas and the availability of illegal weapons, we need to examine the market for illegal firearms in those areas.

The majority of gun owners in this study (63%) reported that they first acquired a firearm between the ages of 14 and 17. The main sources of these firearms, according to the study, were friends, family members and gang members.

While this does not tell us the exact number of weapons stolen, it does show us the gun market in areas with high crime rates, where they are less likely to be acquired legally.

Inner-city youth who feel unsafe, are exposed to gangs, and are influenced by a gun culture have fewer options for protecting themselves and obtaining firearms legally, so it's only natural that these areas provide an opportunity for gun thieves to profit.

Risk factors for stolen weapons

In April 2024, two teenagers in Chattanooga, Tennessee were caught pulling on car door handles in the middle of the night. One of the 16-year-old boys was wearing a body armor vest and in possession of a stolen gun. This story is not uncommon in the small town. In fact, Chattanooga, Tennessee has had more guns stolen from vehicles per capita in recent years than almost any other city in the United States.

Despite curfews, Ring cameras, and police presence, the number of guns stolen from vehicles has exploded in recent years. So what's going on?

Many claims assume that stolen guns are solely a problem of weak gun laws or gun ownership. However, when we expand the problem to all fifty states, gun laws and gun ownership rates do not show a consistent correlation when looking at the number of stolen guns in an area.

However, we do see a correlation between low crime detection rates and gun theft.

For example, the three cities with the most gun thefts from vehicles are Chattanooga, Tennessee; Memphis, Tennessee; and Columbia, South Carolina. These cities also have lower crime clearance rates than other cities with fewer stolen guns.

Everytown article and FBI UCR.

Stolen weapons in America

Criminals are much more likely to purchase a stolen gun from an unauthorized dealer than to steal one themselves, so it stands to reason that there is a market for stolen guns, and many thieves take advantage of it.

While areas with high levels of legal guns tend to have lower crime rates, inner-city areas with higher crime rates tend to provide a lucrative market for stolen guns. When individuals feel unsafe in an area and have no means of legally protecting themselves, they may turn to illegal and stolen guns to protect themselves.

The problem of gun theft is exacerbated by low crime detection rates and a lack of police officers to combat growing crime in cities.

Sources:

LegalReader thanks our friends at Ammo.com for permission to republish this article. The original can be found here.