They’re Coming for Your Car: The Alarming Rise in Gun Thefts from Vehicles

There’s a new front in the fight to protect your firearms—and it’s parked in your driveway.

According to a major new study from the Council on Criminal Justice, criminals are shifting their focus from breaking into homes to breaking into vehicles to steal guns. From 2018 to 2022, gun thefts from cars rose 31%, while residential gun thefts actually declined.

This isn’t just a trend. It’s a warning—and a call to action for responsible gun owners.

Gun-Free Zones: The Real Public Safety Threat

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: gun-free zones make people less safe.

And now, we’re seeing another layer to that danger. When you’re forced by law to disarm before entering a post office, courthouse, school, or private business, what happens to your gun? For millions of law-abiding Americans, the answer is: it gets left in the car.

But the moment that gun is out of your immediate control, it becomes a target—and criminals know it.

👉 Check out our full guide on Vehicle Firearm Storage and Secure Transportation

From Homes to Hatchbacks: What the Data Shows

• Between 2018 and 2022, gun thefts from parking lots and garages climbed from 8.4 to 14.2 per 100,000 people.
• Gun thefts from roads and alleys increased from 5.6 to 8.0 per 100,000.
• Residential thefts fell from 54.6 to 46.2 per 100,000 over the same period.

Perhaps most shocking: in 2022, nearly 1 in 11 vehicle break-ins involved a gun. That’s up from just 1 in 20 in 2018. If this trend has continued beyond the study period to today, we’re likely seeing 10–11% of all vehicle break-ins now resulting in stolen firearms.

Bad guys are smart. They know that a car in the parking lot of a government building or stadium might just have a gun in the glove box. And that’s exactly where they’re looking.

Hard Truth: You Can't Stop All Theft—But You Can Stop Making It Easy

Let’s be blunt. If your firearm ends up in the hands of a criminal because you left it loose in the console or tossed under the seat, that’s on you.

We don’t support laws that mandate how you store a firearm in your private vehicle. But we do believe in something far more powerful than mandates: moral responsibility.

We can’t stop all gun theft, but we don’t have to make it easy.
We don’t have to make it abundantly available.
And we don’t have to live with the guilt of knowing our firearm was used in a crime because we failed to do the right thing.

👉 Read: The Gun in the Glove Box: A Lazy Place to Store a Gun
👉 Read: Don’t Invite Criminals to Target You and Your Guns

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Best Practices for Securing a Gun in a Vehicle

Here’s what responsible gun owners do:

✅ Use a Dedicated Vehicle Safe

The glove box is not secure. A high-quality console vault or vehicle-specific gun safe is the gold standard.
🔐 Shop Console Vault

✅ Bolt or Cable Lock It to the Frame

If your safe isn’t bolted down or tethered, it’s a smash-and-grab away from being gone in seconds.

✅ Hide It

Avoid placing the safe in plain view or under a window. Out of sight = less of a target.

✅ Never Leave a Gun in a Car Overnight

Every hour it’s left in the vehicle increases the chance of theft. Make retrieval a part of your routine.

✅ Park Wisely

Look for well-lit, high-visibility spots. Avoid secluded areas, alleys, and low-traffic garages.

✅ Ditch the Gun Stickers

We love our Second Amendment—but a “Molon Labe” bumper sticker or gun brand decal makes your car a glowing target for thieves.

Final Word: Protect Yourself. Protect the 2A.

Every gun stolen from a vehicle has the potential to be used in a robbery, a carjacking, or a murder. And while criminals bear the ultimate responsibility for their actions, we bear the responsibility for how we store our tools of liberty.

Don’t make it easy for them.

Take stock of your vehicle security plan. Tighten it up.