Prevalence, correlates, and patterns of leaving firearms unattended in vehicles among US firearm owners

Inj Epidemiol. 2026 May 24. doi: 10.1186/s40621-026-00688-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Each year, hundreds of thousands of firearms are stolen, and vehicles are the leading source of firearm thefts in the United States. A precursor to these events is leaving a firearm in a vehicle unattended. Yet, the correlates and patterns of leaving firearms unattended in vehicles remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, correlates, and patterns of leaving firearms unattended in vehicles among US firearm owners.

METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey of firearm-owning adults administered online by YouGov in February-March 2026 (n = 1,856), ordinal logistic regression examined correlates of leaving firearms in unattended vehicles, including sociodemographic, perceptions of safety, strength of state firearm policies, and geographic factors. Among those reporting vehicle firearm storage (n = 468), firearm type, storage location, and reasons for leaving firearms in vehicles were descriptively examined.

RESULTS: Overall, 73.2% of respondents reported never leaving a firearm in a vehicle unattended, 14.7% reported rarely, 5.7% reported sometimes, 3.2% reported most of the time, and 3.2% reported always. Older age, female sex, and stronger state firearm laws (aOR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47-0.97) were associated with lower odds of leaving a firearm in a vehicle unattended. Male sex (v. female) (aOR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.07-2.06), non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity (v. non-Hispanic White) (aOR = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.17-3.61), prior firearm theft (v. no prior firearm theft) (aOR = 2.54; 95% CI, 1.60-4.03), higher perception of fear of being shot (aOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.15), higher perceived likelihood of defensive gun use (1.08, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.14), conservative ideology (v. very liberal) (aOR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.34, 4.52), and rural residence (v. metropolitan) (aOR = 2.21; 95% CI, 1.49-3.26) were associated with higher odds of leaving firearms in a vehicle more frequently. Among respondents who reported leaving firearms in vehicles unattended, handguns were the most common type of firearm left in vehicles (74.5%). Respondents most commonly reported leaving a firearm in the center console (24.6%) or the glovebox (16.7%); 19.7% used a designed for firearm storage. Top reasons for storing in a vehicle included legal carry restrictions, wanting a firearm nearby, and convenience.

CONCLUSIONS: Future research, intervention development, and testing are needed to reduce the leaving of firearms in vehicles unattended.

PMID:42178563 | DOI:10.1186/s40621-026-00688-z