New Ohio web-based tool provides way to track stolen guns

A new web-based tool allows gun buyers, sellers and owners to check weapons to see if they have been stolen. The “Ohio Stolen Gun Portal,” created by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost opened this week. In a written statement announcing the first-of-its kind web system in Ohio, Yost said “This is a tool for gun buyers and law enforcement alike that will lead to recovery of stolen firearms and serve as a deterrent for criminals seeking to make a quick buck.”

How It Works

The web site at https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/stolengun permits anyone to enter the serial number of a gun and then search to see if it is listed in the state’s LEADS ( Law Enforcement Automated Data System) database as being stolen. The system is administered by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

Anyone who has obtained a gun illegally and might try to sell it would now face the likelihood that gun store or pawn shop operators now would have access to the database and could tell within seconds if the gun was stolen.

The system though relies on owners of stolen guns to report the theft to local police, including the serial number of the weapon.

Local law enforcement sees it as another tool that can help reduce crime as long as the information in the database is kept up to date.

“We are dealing with criminals. And if we can slow down criminal activity it’s a win for me, a win for the public and a win for the state,” said Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer.

What Do Gun Store Owners Think About It?

Kevin O’Sullivan owns Delta Armory, a gun shop in Urbana. On first glance he likes the idea behind the new system.

“I think my first initial reaction is positive. It’s good. I think it looks good on paper,” O’Sullivan said. For him, the key to success of the system is updated information.

“I think the concept is good. The overall intention is good. It might need some tweaking but if everybody is open to that we might have a really good system,” O’Sullivan said.

How Big Is The Problem?

Data released by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows the number of stolen and lost guns that were reported to authorities is on the rise.

There were 454 guns lost or stolen in Ohio in 2019. The number was 313 just five years earlier.

In Ohio, a majority of the guns taken were stolen during burglaries, according to the ATF.

Nationwide, the most common type of weapon reported stolen or lost was pistols, with 6,262 of them taken or missing in 2019.

Cox Media Group