What to Do if Your Gun Is Stolen
By Samuel Pfeiffer, Founder of SafeOrStolen · Updated September 24, 2026
Short answer: Report the theft to your local police right away with the make, model, caliber, and serial number. Police can enter a stolen firearm into law-enforcement systems. Many states have their own reporting requirements and deadlines, so check your state's law. Licensed dealers (FFLs) also have a federal duty to report thefts and losses to ATF within 48 hours of discovery.
Where to find your firearm's serial number
Police need the serial number, make, model, caliber, and type.
- The purchase receipt or the dealer's paperwork from the sale.
- The original box or case label.
- Photos, an inventory list, or insurance records you keep.
- The dealer that sold it, which keeps transaction records.
Steps to take now
Work through these in order. Speed matters for tracking, blocking, and insurance, and the identifier is what police, carriers, registries, and insurers ask for.
1. Report it to local police right away
Cost: Free
Report the theft with the serial number, make, model, caliber, and when and where it happened. Ask for the report number.
What it tells you: Police can enter the firearm as stolen so it can be identified if recovered.
2. Check your state's reporting law
Cost: Free
Many states set their own requirement and deadline for owners to report a lost or stolen firearm. Check your state's official statutes or ask the police agency taking your report.
What it tells you: Whether and how quickly your state requires you to report.
3. If you are a licensed dealer: report to ATF
Cost: Free
Federal regulation 27 CFR 478.39a requires federal firearms licensees to report a theft or loss from their inventory or collection to ATF and local authorities within 48 hours after discovering it.
What it tells you: This applies to licensees, not private owners.
4. Notify your insurer
Cost: Depends on your policy
Homeowners or renters policies may cover firearm theft, sometimes with limits. Have the police report number and serial ready.
What it tells you: What is covered and what documentation you need.
5. Log the item on SafeOrStolen
Cost: Free with an account
Add the item, its identifier, and your police report number at /report-stolen. SafeOrStolen checks its own stolen-item reports whenever someone runs that identifier.
What it tells you: Anyone who checks that identifier on SafeOrStolen sees that it was reported stolen. It does not notify police, carriers, insurers, or other registries.
Mistakes to avoid
- Waiting to report; some states set short deadlines.
- Trying to recover the firearm yourself.
- Reporting without the serial number when your receipt or dealer can provide it.
Keep records and follow up
- Keep a single file with the police report number, officer or agency name, identifier, photos, receipt, and every call reference number.
- Write down dates and times of each call, claim, and report.
- Watch marketplaces for your item and send any listing to the investigating officer instead of contacting the seller.
- Update your report and registries if the item is recovered, so it is no longer shown as stolen.
Do not try to recover an item yourself or confront anyone who has it. Give the information to police. Call emergency services only if someone is in immediate danger.
Log it on SafeOrStolen. Add the item and its identifier to SafeOrStolen's stolen-item reports, so anyone who checks that identifier on SafeOrStolen sees it was reported stolen. This does not replace a police report.
Report a stolen itemWhere SafeOrStolen fits
SafeOrStolen is a stolen-item verification hub for buyers and sellers covering phones, vehicles, license plates, serial-numbered electronics and power tools, firearms, and bicycles. For theft victims, the useful part is the report: once your item is logged, a buyer who checks its identifier on SafeOrStolen sees it was reported stolen. SafeOrStolen does not file police reports or contact carriers or insurers for you.
SafeOrStolen checks its own stolen-item reports, public web results, and AI notes. Guns are also checked against police theft and loss reports from 34 states plus live Ohio records, bikes against a national stolen-bicycle registry, and paid phone checks search the lost and stolen phone blacklist. It does not search NCIC, DMV or insurance records; those are separate checks described in this guide.
Buyers can save the result with their other due-diligence records. After a clean check, sellers can share a Proof of Clean Purchase: a permanent, timestamped verification record. It is not a title, guarantee of ownership, or legal document.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to report a stolen gun?
It depends on your state. Many states require owners to report lost or stolen firearms, some within a set number of hours or days. Check your state's statutes or ask your local police. Reporting promptly is the safe choice in every state.
Who has to report thefts to ATF?
Federal firearms licensees must report thefts or losses from their inventory or collection to ATF and local authorities within 48 hours of discovery under 27 CFR 478.39a. Private owners report to local police.
Does SafeOrStolen report my gun to the police?
No. Logging it on SafeOrStolen adds the serial to SafeOrStolen's own stolen-item reports. File a police report separately.