The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco has released new statistics on stolen guns in the U.S. and the numbers are nothing short of shocking:
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), gun store burglaries are on the rise -- a 28 percent increase from 2013 to 2015, with more than 1,100 federally licensed gun dealers victimized and more than 12,000 handguns, shotguns and rifles stolen.
That is 12,000 stolen firearms in the hands of people who are by definition criminals, all stolen in just one year. Many or most of these guns make their way to the black market:
ATF Resident Agent in Charge Scott Fulkerson says getting those guns off the street is a top priority for the agency. “We know that from experience that as soon as those guns are stolen, we have a very short period of time between when those guns go from the legal market into criminal hands and then are being used in crimes almost instantly,” Fulkerson said.
The ATF has a list of recommended safety guidelines, but they are not required. Perhaps it is time to require a higher level of security for existing gun stores and gun dealers.
And while 12,000 stolen guns sounds like a lot, it’s nothing with the number of guns stolen from private owners:
There is no updated national data on gun thefts, but a U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that 1.4 million firearms were stolen across the country from 2005 through 2010. It also found that the vast majority — at least 80 percent — were never recovered.
It’s hard to imagine how many of those stolen guns have been involved in serious crimes.