BAD: Guns being stolen from (un)locked cars

[blitzburgh]

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo (KMOV.com) -- Festus police are fighting a losing battle fueld by what they say is the neglect of gun owners.

Numerous guns are in the hands of criminals all because they were left in unlocked cars.

Authorities say some suspects spend an evening just going through neighborhoods checking for unlocked cars and trucks.

“It’s become a huge public safety factor,” said Captain Don Lassing. “We don’t know, we don’t know where the guns are going. There are some cases where we’ve made arrests and recovered some of these guns, but not a whole lot.”

Lassing says three guns have been stolen out of cars or trucks in the past two weeks, and more than a dozen have been stolen in 2012.

“15 different reports of handguns stolen from vehicle,” he said. “That’s a lot.”

That's just a piece of the article and it goes into more details:

Police frustrated as guns continue being stolen from unlocked cars | KMOV.com St. Louis

According to the report, the majority of these weapons stolen from vehicles weren't even locked and the vehicles were in somebodys driveway, not a public parking lot. I find it troubling that these people aren't being responsible for their firearms.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ANGLICO]

How much of it is over exaggertion by the Police? Apparently not too exggerated.

Yeah, apparently a whole group of firearm's owners who don't respect some common sense practices.

[mprp]

Yeah I BET the police are frustrated. That's just more guns they will have to deal with and maybe go up against. Hell, the owners may even have to go up against their own gun. Geeze, keep 'em locked up people. The days of being able to leave your doors unlocked and windows open are long gone.

[whoppo]

There has been at least a half dozen reports of guns stolen from unlocked cars in our area over the past several months.
We're in "farmland suburbs".... most homes in this area sit on at least 3 or 4 acres of land and some have hundreds of acres. Apparently too many people are naive enough to think crime stays in the city.. which is only 15 minutes away.

sigh.

[Doghandler]

Back in the old days we dragged thieves along bloody streets behind horses.

I can't remember whether the horses were locked up or not.

...
The problem with the world is grown-ups behaving like unsupervised children.

[ccw9mm]

Yeah, it's hard to defend having a firearm in an "undefended" spot ... lying about, just sitting in a console/glovebox, whatever. But then, having an easily-entered vehicle isn't too different from having an easily-entered home.

Back in the old days we dragged thieves along bloody streets behind horses. I can't remember whether the horses were locked up or not.

You might be onto something. We could use a little more of that.

[mnmbrewing]

Its funny is a way. When I visit my mother I don't lock the doors on my vehicle. Never did growing up and there are several neighbors who still do the same. Now granted I don't leave a firearm in that vehicle. ANYWHERE else my doors are locked. If I have to leave my firearm in the vehicle I triple check that I locked the doors by grabbing the door handle and trying to open it. Not opening then its locked. Firearm is NEVER left visible so no reason for someone to try to break in. Actually nothing worth value or that shows there may be something of value in the vehicle is left out where it can be seen. I even take the GPS mount down if the vehicle is going to be out of my sight just so they don't see that and think the GPS may be in the vehicle somewhere.

[Curzyk]

I'm wondering how many of these guns are handguns versus rifles. I honestly don't understand how people can think that leaving anything in an unlocked vehicle is a good idea. Family has made fun of me before for locking my car even when visiting a house in the country. My response? It's a habit. I always lock my car. I always keep valuables either out of the car or, at the very least, out of sight. I can't even fathom leaving a gun in my car unless it was in a safe that was bolted down..

[kapnketel]

Car break-ins are on the rise in what was a crime free quiet rural suburb/subdivision. According to the sheriff's office, more than half are unlocked, even in sections with repeat crimes. I guess you cannot fix stupid...

[OldVet]

Back in the old days we dragged thieves along bloody streets behind horses.

I can't remember whether the horses were locked up or not.

...
The problem with the world is grown-ups behaving like unsupervised children.

The horses were probably whipped . . . to run faster!

[OldVet]

I regularly receive the "crimestopper" recorded calls from the local PD about a rash of auto break-ins and to remove valuables/lock the doors. And if you recall the story about the "thief" who removed a gun from a guy's car and left it on his doorstep--that was here. Both my wife and I automatically lock the car doors, even if only getting out to fill the gas tank. Too many purse snatches at the stations.

One must always be vigilant.

[ep1953]

I don't know about now but my ex-wife would never lock her car no matter where she parked. She is a nurse and I stopped by the hospital one night to visit her for a minute and on the way back to my car I checked her door. Sure enough it was unlocked and her handbag was sitting right there on the seat. I took it with me in the hope of getting her attention but the only thing it did was make her mad at me. She continued to leave the car unlocked..... Yep. You can't fix stupid.

[blitzburgh]

I always lock my car.. even if it's sitting in an enclosed garage with a locked garage door. It's just habit now. The thought of leaving my gun in an unlocked car wouldn't even cross my mind.

[high pockets]

...We're in "farmland suburbs".... most homes in this area sit on at least 3 or 4 acres of land and some have hundreds of acres. Apparently too many people are naive enough to think crime stays in the city.. which is only 15 minutes away.sigh.

I'm not trying to make excuses for the negligent owners, but this pretty much describes Festus, MO.; but make it about 60 minutes away from St. Louis.

[mkh]

I live in a nice upscale community of 5800 homes and we have a problem with people leaving cars unlocked.

Thieves will drve down the street and stop in the middle of the street. 5 or 6 kids will jump out and fan out to the houses on each side of the street and try car doors. If unlocked they ransack them and if not they move on. They don't break windows as it will cause noise and set off alarms. Doing it this way it's real quick and easy to hit 6 - 8 houses at once and hard to get caught.