Guns Stolen From Cars Jumped 31 Percent Between 2018 and 2022: Report

Second Amendment advocates say gun-free zones are the reason for increased auto burglaries. Critics says data is not adequate to support that claim.

Dozens of recovered stolen handguns are displayed during a press conference in Benton Township, Mich., Nov. 21, 2023. Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP

The rate at which guns were stolen from cars increased by 31 percent from 2018 to 2022, while the rate at which guns were stolen during residential burglaries dropped 40 percent, according to a recent report from the Council on Criminal Justice.

The council analyzed data from 2,098 law enforcement agencies that had consistently reported gun thefts to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System during the period studied. The report includes data from roughly 12 percent of the country’s law enforcement agencies, covering 25 percent of the U.S. population, including 16 cities with populations greater than 250,000, according to the report.