What to do if your gun is stolen
Report it quickly. When police know a gun is stolen, it can be identified and returned to you if it turns up. A gun nobody reported is just another gun.
1. Make sure everyone is safe
If you think the break-in is still happening, leave and call 911. Once it's safe, try not to handle things the thief touched until police have seen the scene.
2. Report it to your local police
Call your local police department, or the sheriff's office if you're outside city limits, and file a theft report. Give them the make, model, caliber or gauge and serial number of each missing firearm, plus anything that makes it recognizable, like a custom finish or optic. Photos help.
Police enter stolen guns into the FBI's National Crime Information Center, known as NCIC. If an officer anywhere in the country later runs that serial number, the gun shows up as stolen. That's why the serial number matters so much: without it, there's very little to enter. Ask for the report number before you hang up or leave the station.
3. Check your state's reporting rules
Federal law doesn't require private owners to report a stolen gun. Some states do, and they often set a deadline measured in hours or days. Ask the officer taking your report, or check your state attorney general's or state police website. The federal reporting rules you may have read about apply to licensed dealers.
4. Tell your insurer
Most claims need a police report number. Send your insurer the list of what was taken along with photos, receipts and serial numbers. Some homeowner's policies cap what they pay for stolen firearms unless the guns were listed on the policy, so ask what your coverage includes. Our guide to firearm inventory for insurance covers what to keep ready.
5. Write it down
Note the date of the theft, the report number, the agency and the officer's name. Keep copies of everything you sent your insurer. If the gun is recovered, the police agency that holds your report will contact you, and you'll want those details ready to get it back.
6. Secure what's left
Work out how the thief got in and fix it. Change safe combinations and lock codes if there's any chance they were seen, and keep the remaining guns locked up, with ammunition stored separately. See our firearm safety basics for storage.
Before it happens
Everything above is easier if you already have a record of what you own. If you don't, start with how to keep a firearm inventory and our guide to serial number records.
In Arms & Ammo Log, each firearm's serial number, photos and receipts are on your phone, encrypted and ready to show an officer. After a theft, add the report number to the gun's notes so it's with everything else.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Reporting laws differ by state and change over time.
Questions
Do I have to report a stolen gun to the ATF?
Not as a private owner under federal law. Report it to your local police, who enter it into the national database. The ATF's theft reporting rules are for licensed dealers. Some states have their own reporting requirement, so check yours.
What if I don't know the serial number?
Look for the receipt, the original box or old photos. If you bought it from a dealer, they keep records of their sales and may be able to look it up for you. Give police everything else you know in the meantime.
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