Guns Stolen From Cars: A Growing Share of Firearm Thefts

Reported gun thefts in the city have nearly doubled in five years, from 261 in 2019 to 472 in 2024, according to the Minneapolis Police Department. The share taken from vehicles has climbed faster than the total: 91 of the 261 thefts in 2019 came from cars, against 246 of the 472 in 2024, and police say 64 percent of reported gun thefts so far in 2025 involved firearms taken from vehicles, up from 35 percent in 2019.

The thefts run on the same opportunistic break-ins that drive the rest of the local property blotter, where theft from vehicles is the leading complaint in the 5th Precinct, which covers Lowry Hill and the Wedge. A smash-and-grab that nets a phone charger is a nuisance; one that finds a handgun in a glovebox puts a working weapon into circulation. The department says vehicle-related gun thefts have concentrated near downtown bars, hotels and sporting venues, where people leave firearms in cars rather than carry them inside, but the behavior shows up wherever cars sit overnight.

In July 2025 the department built that message into a public campaign, "Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives". "When you leave a gun in a vehicle, even locked or hidden, you're creating a crime of opportunity," Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in announcing it. The guidance is to keep firearms out of parked cars entirely; a console or glovebox is not a safe, and a broken window gives a thief the whole interior in seconds. For those who must transport a gun, the department recommends a securely mounted lockbox and bringing the weapon inside whenever the car is left.

Owners whose guns are stolen are urged to call 911 promptly and provide the serial number, which is what lets a recovered firearm be traced and returned and helps investigators connect it if it surfaces at a later crime scene. As with every blotter item, Lowry Hill News locates these reports to the block only and names no resident or anyone merely charged.