Everytown Releases New Research Revealing Massachusetts is Home to at Least Eight Cities with Zero Gun Thefts from Cars, Despite National Rate Tripling in the Last Decade

Nationwide, At Least One Firearm Is Stolen From A Car Every Nine Minutes, With the Majority Of Thefts Occurring in Cars Parked at Home

MASSACHUSETTS – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund today released a new report highlighting a sharp increase in the number of firearms being stolen from cars across the United States. The report, entitled “Gun Thefts from Cars: The Largest Source of Stolen Guns,” found the nationwide rate of gun thefts from cars is triple what it was a decade ago.

Despite this concerning national trend, Massachusetts is home to at least eight cities with zero guns stolen from cars in 2022. By analyzing FBI crime data, researchers found that Brockton, Cambridge, Haverhill, Lawrence, Quincy, Somerville, Waltham, and Newton reported no gun thefts, a testament to the strength of the state’s gun violence prevention policies. Massachusetts passed a secure storage requirement for any firearm not in the owner’s immediate control in 1998, one of the strongest secure storage requirements in the country. 

In cities located in states with the weakest gun safety laws, the rate of gun thefts from cars is nearly 18 times higher than cities in states with the strongest laws. Four out of the five cities with the highest rates of gun thefts from cars are in states with particularly weak gun laws. This is in marked contrast to the 12 cities that reported zero guns reported stolen from cars in 2022 — the majority of which are in states that lead the nation in the strength of their gun safety laws, Massachusetts included. 

“Massachusetts has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country, and today’s data demonstrates yet again that these laws help keep our communities safe,” said Anne Thalheimer, a volunteer with the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action and survivor fellow. “With so many stolen guns being used in instances of gun violence, it’s critical that we store them securely everywhere – including in cars. We’re grateful that our Massachusetts lawmakers have enacted laws to require this, and now our communities are safer for it.” 

“Guns stolen from cars often go from legal hands to the illegal market, where they are too often used to carry out other crimes, including assaults and homicides. But these thefts are preventable, as is the heartbreak and long-lasting trauma of the violence they can cause,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Gun owners must securely store their guns – whether in the car or in the home – to save lives.” 

Key findings from the report include:

• The rate of gun thefts from cars is triple what it was a decade ago – rising from an estimated 21.0 thefts per 100,000 people in 2013, to 63.1 per 100,000 in 2022. 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. 
• The rise in gun thefts from cars is not likely associated with cars now being parked in different or more dangerous types of locations. Cars parked at residences (in driveways, outside homes, etc.) are the most common source of stolen guns.
• 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 experiencing zero gun thefts from cars. 
• The past decade’s overall nationwide increase in gun thefts is driven primarily by the rise in gun thefts from cars.
• The rate of thefts from cars overall has decreased 11 percent over the past decade, while the rate of gun thefts from cars soared over 200 percent.

Local leaders and law enforcement have raised public awareness about the importance of always storing guns securely in cars and locking car doors. And companies sell gun safes for every model of car and truck on the road. But with an average of at least one gun stolen from a car every nine minutes, there is more gun owners, legislators at all levels, local community leaders, law enforcement, and others can be doing to put an end to this dangerous trend.

Be SMART, a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries, youth suicide, and gunfire on school grounds. The program encourages parents and adults to: 

• Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the role of guns in suicide
• Tell your peers to be SMART

With regards to preventing firearm car theft, Be SMART encourages secure vehicle storage. There is a gun safe for sale for every make and model of vehicle and devices that make it easier to securely store guns, preventing thefts as well as firearm access by children or unauthorized users while enabling quick access to the gun as needed by the owner.