Jun 8th 2026

Hundreds of Thousands of Guns Are Stolen in The United States Every Year

Every year, hundreds of thousands of firearms are stolen in the United States, making gun theft a major public-safety issue. Depending on the source, estimates range from about 200,000 to 400,000 stolen guns annually, and some reports put the figure near 380,000.

That means gun theft happens every day, not just once in a while. At the higher estimate, about 1,040 guns are stolen per day, or roughly one every two minutes.

This is why gun safes matter. A quality gun safe helps keep firearms locked away from thieves, children, and unauthorized users, and it lowers the chance that a stolen firearm will end up in the illegal market.

Stolen guns are not just a property crime issue. They are a pipeline into violent crime, because firearms taken in burglaries, vehicle thefts, and store thefts are often trafficked and later used in assaults, robberies, and homicides. Stolen guns have a very low recovery rate as only 20% to 28% of stolen guns are recovered.

If you own firearms, secure storage should be part of responsible ownership. A gun safe is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce theft risk and help keep firearms out of the wrong hands.