Guns Are Being Stolen From Cars At Triple The Rate That They Were 10 Years Ago, Study Finds

[TTL News 319]

Quote

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The rate of guns stolen from cars in the U.S. has tripled over the last decade, making them the largest source of stolen guns in the country, an analysis of FBI data by the gun safety group Everytown found.

The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.S., according to the report, which analyzes FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and was provided to The Associated Press.

The stolen weapons have, in some cases, turned up at crime scenes. In July 2021, a gun taken from an unlocked car in Riverside, Florida, was used to kill a 27-year-old Coast Guard member as she tried to stop a car burglary in her neighborhood.

The alarming trend underscores the need for Americans to safely secure their firearms to prevent them from getting into the hands of dangerous people, said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Steve Dettelbach, whose agency has separately found links between stolen guns and violent crimes.

 

Read the rest here.

[Chris 2,239]

When I wrote to get my concealed carry years ago, I told the judge that in my opinion, the safest place for a firearm when not locked up at home is concealed and with me, not locked in the car while I'm inside someplace. 

Of course there are people who are careless and leave firearms in cars unlocked, in sight, etc. There should be consequences for that, because it's irresponsible. 

[Hal 343]

25 minutes ago, Chris said:

There should be consequences for that, because it's irresponsible. 

One such occurrence did end with consequences that I was privy to . The person was used to having his firearm on the seat next to him and just forgot it was there , parked in a patrolled lot it was turned in by security . Lost his gun and permit . Now , jumping in the “ Way Back Machine  “ , as with today Concealed is concealed  , but in the late 70s there was an uproar about the whole concealed thing something like (paraphrasing here ) Concealed means , locked in the trunk , glove compartment and not visible to others . 
Pure and simple it IS just irresponsible as you say , even more so since stolen guns used in committing a crime are most times traceable back to the original owner even with defaced serial numbers. 

[Chris 2,239]

35 minutes ago, Hal said:

Concealed means , locked in the trunk , glove compartment and not visible to others . 

Yeah that's how I was told it had to be in the car before I had my concealed carry. My argument was, someone breaks into my car and finds it, it's gone.