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Food for Thought - Annual Stolen Guns by State

Hi,

Interesting article. Too bad there's so much missing data and under reporting. I wonder if the citizens of certain states just don't store their firearms as securely as they should. Or do these stats follow the B&E crime stats of those areas? It seems my state is pretty low on the list for theft but it's also very low on the list for recovery. Let's all take care with our babies. ;)


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
BassCliff said:
I wonder if the citizens of certain states just don't store their firearms as securely as they should.
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Certainly true in my little town of 120k in Texas. They post arrest reports across the city almost daily and inevitably there will be one or two per week or so that read “handgun stolen from unlocked vehicle.”

And those are just the reported ones. Across all 50 states, I wonder what the real numbers would be if unreported gun thefts were ALL accounted for?
 
Interesting that many of the states with low theft rates also try the hardest to make firearm ownership difficult. Weird, who would figured out that fewer guns gives criminals less chance to steal them?

Then again, how much gun theft goes unreported in those locales given that the victim may not have jumped through the hoops the local government mandates to exercise their right? Of course, criminals wouldn't dream of stealing from other criminals so that isn't something to consider.

There's a scientific term that probably describes this list. Hogwash.
 
This report was neatly arranged to produce an unambiguous result so it is easily consumed in the manner they intend. They want to insinuate that the theft of a gun involves some irresponsibility on the gun owner. The reality is that that NIBRS (national incident based reporting system) is much more specific in its data. Questions to ask, how many were taken in home burglaries, how many were taken in thefts from a vehicle, or how many from robberies (theft from a person).
 
BruceMc said:
This report was neatly arranged to produce an unambiguous result so it is easily consumed in the manner they intend. They want to insinuate that the theft of a gun involves some irresponsibility on the gun owner. The reality is that that NIBRS (national incident based reporting system) is much more specific in its data. Questions to ask, how many were taken in home burglaries, how many were taken in thefts from a vehicle, or how many from robberies (theft from a person).
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Agree on home burglaries (as long as not as easy as picking up off a dresser) and theft from a person (not worth risking your life over if you don’t have to).

I would argue that theft from a vehicle is irresponsible on the part of the gun owner, unless car was locked, gun was in a safe or secured lockbox, and that container had to broken into to steal the gun. Especially if car was parked outside overnight(s). I just feel obligated to ensure I make the theft of any of my firearms as difficult as I possibly can.

In all of those, of course the thief is responsible for the theft. Doesn’t mean we should make it easy for them.

I would also argue that there ARE irresponsible gun owners. Just look how many toddlers get killed or injured playing with a loaded gun left where they could access it.
 
BruceMc said:
Just how many toddlers are killed or injured playing with a loaded gun left where they could access it? I could not find a number.
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You wouldn’t think one was too many? And I’m sure you’re aware there’s been a few more than one over the years…just recently, just in Texas…

Recent Incidents in Texas
    • Harris County (August 27, 2026): A 4-year-old girl died after discovering an unsecured handgun inside a closet. She was alone in the closet when she found her mother's gun and accidentally shot herself. The mother faces potential charges. [1, 2, 3]
    • Texas City (August 2026): A 4-year-old boy found a handgun in a bedroom while being cared for by his grandmother. He accidentally shot and killed himself. [1]
    • Fort Worth (August 2026): A 3-year-old boy died from an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after finding a loaded gun in a home bedroom. [1, 2]
    • Houston (August 2026): A 6-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed after discovering a 9 mm pistol in his family's apartment bedroom while his mother was away. [1]
    • San Antonio (October 2024): An infant (10 to 11 months old) was fatally shot inside a parked SUV. A 2-year-old or 3-year-old sibling managed to access a loaded long gun left in the rear of the vehicle and discharged it. [1]
 
BruceMc said:
I agree one is too many and any number is tragic. The point I'm trying to make is that some groups use vague numbers and ambiguous statistics to prove their point of view. "Just look how many" is an example of that rhetoric. It allows people to fallback on their own beliefs factual or imagined.
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Agreed, however “just look how many” shouldn’t equate to it can’t be a problem. In “my” opinion, it is incumbent on folks who understand safe gun handling, storage, legal rules of engagement, etc., to not not ignore things that could be made better (like trying to convince folks to quit leaving guns in unlocked cars, among other things). Every report on something about guns should not be a trigger to all of us that believe in 2A and practice responsible gun ownership/use.

It would be impossible to use exact numbers for most things as many data points (regardless of topic) always go unreported and the actual numbers will likely change daily, so any reporting is outdated before even reported.

Where there seems to be concern about state rankings, or how the data is being presented, I think the important takeaway is the total number of guns ending up in criminal control across ALL states, and we’d probably agree weak arrests/prosecutions providing no deterrents to the thieves is a big factor.
 
I am not clicking 50 times to see each state. Bottom line lock your stuff up of you can’t take it inside somewhere (like that MRI or whatever)

This just happened in Evansville Indjana. Big the nice HST round. That is indicative of a stolen gun as most thugs run ball. Good frimed in Indianapolis PD said all he recovers from shoktings is ball. The exception was during the pandemic when self defense ammo was on the shelves a little longer after ball ran out.

Carry you gun on you and keep your stuff locked up!


www.wishtv.com

15-year-old faces felony charges after deputies find gun at North High School

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A 15-year-old North High School student is in secure detention after deputies found a loaded handgun in the student’s locker Friday morning in Evansville. Authorities did not identify the student or the other people involved in the case. Authorities began the...
www.wishtv.com www.wishtv.com
 

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Well Illinois is ranked higher than Wisconsin and 1 lower than Iowa. I know Illinois (I mean Chicago) is stupefying on its laws. But of course I come out to the real Illinois and try to screw with us.
 
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