HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) – The Henrico County Police Department is urging people to protect their firearms.
In a Facebook post, the department released this video about data from 2022, in which officials show that a gun was taken from a car, on average, every 36 hours in the county.
Henrico police crime statistics for 2022 show that 243 guns were stolen from cars and 65% were reported from unlocked cars. In that same report, Henrico police reported a 34 percent increase in car thefts.
In 2021, Henrico police reported 204 guns were stolen from cars, with 76% in unlocked cars.
“You know, if you’re going to be a responsible gun owner, leaving a firearm in an unlocked car is not being a responsible gun owner,” Henrico Police Chief Eric English said. “We have to really emphasize that with people who have firearms. If you want to make sure that you’re protecting your neighborhood, protecting each other, you need to secure your firearms and not leave them to vehicles”.
Chief English also said there have been cases in Henrico where stolen guns have been used in other crimes.
“We’ve had cases where guns are used, whether it’s in a robbery or a shooting, that’s been stolen,” he said. “If they were stolen from a house or stolen from a vehicle, that has come up in some of our cases. These things can be prevented if we just have responsible gun owners who lock their cars or take them away firearms in his home.”
“A firearm is a very dangerous weapon and those who own firearms need to be more responsible in terms of being able to lock up those weapons,” Chief English said.
In an effort to prevent these types of thefts, Henrico police shared tips on how to properly secure firearms.
First, Henrico police said if you must leave your firearm in a car, use a cable lock or a jack. Officers also encourage people to disassemble the firearm and secure it in the trunk.
Police also said car safes are another option and are asking people to choose one that requires a key or code.
At home, police are also urging people to keep their firearms disassembled and in a locked safe. Cable locks or trigger guards are also an option.
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