GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new report by the ATF outlines just how many firearms were stolen throughout the country between 2017 and 2021— comparing those stolen from federally licensed gun stores and those taken from homes or personal vehicles.
While overnight robberies at gun stores tend to get the most attention on TV and social media, they only make up a fraction of thefts.
According to the report, over 95% of all firearms are taken from private homes or vehicles.
The report includes data from all states, but only 15 have laws requiring people to make a police report when a firearm is stolen.
READ: First comprehensive federal firearm crime report in 20 years release
Michigan is one of those states.
According to a 2016 survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, only about 75% of private/personal gun thefts end up being reported.
Between the period of 2017 through 2021, there were about 2,702 federally licensed firearm distributors in Michigan.
There were 1,096 firearms stolen from those licensed facilities during that entire period.
In contrast, there were about 6,462 private firearms stolen per year in Michigan.
During that period, police were able to recover 450 firearms, with 422 being located within the state of Michigan.
You can read through the entire report below:
