Guns Stolen from Vehicles Spiking in Charlotte
Guns are being stolen from cars and trucks across Charlotte at an alarming rate.
CHARLOTTE, NC — Guns are being stolen from cars and trucks across Charlotte at an alarming rate.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says thieves are targeting firearms for an easy score. The guns often go straight onto the black market, and could be used to harm innocent people.
In fact, the consequences of leaving a gun out in the open, or not locking you car doors, could be deadly.
Cars are not designed to be gun safes.
“You know put it in a locked gun box, or put it in the trunk,” says Officer John Frisk with CMPD’s Crime Prevention Unit.
The number of guns stolen from vehicles in Charlotte has been going up every year since 20-14. 17 guns were taken from cars and trucks in CMPD’s jurisdiction last week. Year- to-year, gun thefts from vehicles in July are up 65%, with 37 in 2016 and 61 so far this year.
The guns are being stolen from vehicles in neighborhoods, apartment complexes, parking lots and even businesses.
In 17 of the 61 cases this month, the thieves broke a window. 12 times the owner left the car, with a gun in it, unlocked!
“Depending on how old the gun is, or you know just the brand of the gun, easily pop $200 for a gun,” says Frisk. “And you know that’s just pure cash.”
The number of gun seizures by CMPD is rising, making these stolen guns a valuable commodity on the streets. Police are trying to persuade gun owners that if they must leave a gun inside a vehicle, at least secure them properly.
“It’s just so easy for a criminal, once they break into your car, to get that gun,” says Officer Frisk. “Gets into the wrong hands, and it becomes very dangerous for everybody.”
Serial numbers from reported stolen guns go into a national database. Some wind up in Charlotte, but others scatter across the country, used in crimes from Florida to California.
“If you know you’re just going to run to the grocery store, you’re going to be pretty quick,” says Frisk. “Or you’re going to run to the mall. Just leave the gun at home.”
Charlotte was part of a national study of 92 counties and cities that found more than 10,000 guns were stolen from cars across the country in 2015 alone.
