While federal firearms dealers are required to report lost or stolen guns within 48 hours, there’s no similar federal requirement for individual gun owners. As The Trace’s Chip Brownlee reports in the latest edition of The Trajectory, states have started to fill the gap with their own mandates for reporting lost or stolen guns — and the efforts are gaining momentum.
Reporting requirements help police officers track missing guns, hopefully before they are used in a crime. The mandate also aids in identifying cases of gun trafficking and straw purchasing, a term for when a person buys a gun with the intent of giving or selling it to someone prohibited from possessing it.
According to a 2025 ATF report, nearly 1.1 million firearms were reported stolen from 2019 to 2023, and more than 1 million of those were stolen from private citizens. Research shows that once they’re outside the hands of their original owners, firearms are much more likely to be used in crimes.
Though mandatory reporting requirements are not a fix-all solution for gun violence, they’re still a promising measure for preventing gun crimes.
So far, 17 states have adopted reporting requirements. As legislative sessions heat up this year, at least four states may vote on bills to enact new requirements, and two more are considering bills that could strengthen existing requirements.
From The Trace
Teens Are More Likely to Arm Themselves in Cluttered, Violence-Plagued Neighborhoods, Research Finds: A recent analysis looks into factors that contribute to perceived community disorder, and the role of mental health treatment in stemming gun violence.
SCOTUS Appears Ready to Sink Mexico’s Lawsuit Against U.S. Gunmakers: During oral arguments on March 4, the Supreme Court appeared skeptical of Mexico’s allegations that American gunmakers had fueled cartel violence. The justices’ decision could doom the case.
Illinois Law Acknowledges Gun Possession Doesn’t Mean Pulling the Trigger: In January, a law changed the names of six weapon possession charges. Some advocates say that the clearer titles can ease reentry for those convicted; others say the reforms don’t go far enough.
What to Know Today
Cuyahoga County officials have finally released body camera footage from when a deputy shot a teenager in Cleveland four months ago. After the shooting, the Sheriff’s Department quietly updated its body camera policy, and announced that footage from shootings by deputies will now be released within seven business days. [The Marshall Project]
The Kansas Senate passed a bill to allow law enforcement agencies to sell or transfer guns seized through civil forfeiture to licensed firearms dealers. The legislation is an expansion of the state’s current policy, which allows agencies to sell or give away guns confiscated from someone convicted of a crime. Civil forfeiture does not require a conviction. [Kansas Reflector]
Over the past half-century, only 17 women serving life sentences in Pennsylvania have been granted freedom through the state’s commutation process. Gail Stallworth, who shot and killed a man in a robbery nearly 40 years ago, when she was 25, tried her chance at becoming the 18th. At first, her bid to end her life sentence was hopeful. That changed when the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons reversed course by taking unprecedented steps. [Spotlight PA]
In Tennessee, gun safety advocates are shifting their approach to firearm reform. Since the recent Antioch High School shooting in Nashville, calls for change have been noticeably focused on school security, community-based initiatives, and mental health resources instead of red flag laws. The new tone seems to be a response to the state’s Republican supermajority, which has been heavily resistant to new gun restrictions. [Nashville Banner]
Nearly nine years ago, Jamarion Robinson was shot 59 times by members of a federal task force in East Point, Georgia, while being served a warrant. His case gained national attention because of the officers’ failure to wear body cameras. His mother, Monteria Robinson, sued six of the officers involved in the fatal shooting, but says she discovered last month that her case was quietly closed in June 2024. A criminal case has yet to go to trial, but she hopes that the officers will be held accountable. [Capital B]
A new analysis from Northwestern University found that suicides make up most of the deaths stemming from problems within intimate partner relationships. While most intimate partner homicide victims in in Illinois are women, men made up about 81 percent of suicide victims, according to the study. Researchers found that firearms were the most common weapon used in both homicides and suicides. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Before becoming the FBI director and acting ATF chief, Kash Patel spoke openly about QAnon conspiracies and criticized the ATF as an arm of the government moving to “wipe out” people’s Second Amendment rights. Patel’s political ascent comes alongside a resurgence of far-right extremist groups across the country. Experts fear that, with the FBI’s new leadership, investigations into violent extremist plots will go nowhere. [The Guardian]
Data Point
Less than 2 percent — the proportion of Oregon gun dealers inspected by the ATF in 2022 and 2023. The ATF aims to inspect all gun dealers in the U.S. every three years, but inspected only 65 of the state’s 2,000 or so gun dealers during that two-year period. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
Non Sequitur
New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras with costumes and revelry despite weather concerns
Locals and tourists didn’t let the weather rain on their parade as Mardi Gras unfolded in New Orleans. [Associated Press]
