Everytown Releases New Research Revealing Richmond, VA Among Top 5 Cities With Highest Rates of Gun Theft From Cars

Report Finds National Rate of Guns Stolen from Cars Has Tripled 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

RICHMOND, VA – 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.

Using FBI crime data, the report reveals that Richmond, Virginia is among the top 5 cities with the highest rates of gun theft from cars, with 218 guns stolen per 100,000 people in 2022. The data also reveals that in cities located in states with the weakest gun safety laws, the rate of gun theft 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. In Virginia, gun sense champions passed two measures that would have addressed this crisis, including the requirement that firearms be stored securely in homes where children or people legally prohibited from accessing firearms are present (HB 183, Del. Simon and SB 368, Sen. Boysko) and to penalize leaving a handgun visible in an unattended motor vehicle (HB 1462, Del. Laufer and S. 447, Sen. Marsden) – both of which were vetoed by Governor Youngkin. 

“With the majority of gun homicides and assaults involving stolen or illegal guns, this data demonstrates that Virginia needs stronger gun safety laws to keep firearms out of the wrong hands,” said Mike Fox, a volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re grateful that our lawmakers passed a bill to require handguns be securely stored in unattended cars this year – this data shows why Governor Youngkin should have signed it into law. Policies like this can save lives – and we’ll continue to fight for it next session.” 

“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:

• Richmond, VA had a rate of 218 gun thefts from vehicles per 100,000 people in 2022. 
• 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 average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States. 
• The national 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. 
• Cars parked at home are the most common source of stolen guns, demonstrating the importance of securely storing guns at all times and locations. 
• A decade ago, roughly a quarter of nationwide gun thefts were from cars; in 2022, over half were. 
• 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 do 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.