521 guns stolen in 2017 from unlocked cars, Jacksonville police say

[internet troll]

Do a lot of people here leave their guns in their unlocked cars. I was surprised this number was so high.


521 guns stolen in 2017 from unlocked cars, Jacksonville police say


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - So far this year, 521 guns have been stolen from unlocked cars, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced Sunday evening on Twitter.

When News4Jax asked how many of the weapons were recovered, the Sheriff's Office didn't have that information available, but said officers see stolen guns used later in crimes time and time again.

In an effort to prevent gun thefts, JSO reminded people about the #9PMRoutine. Every night before you go to bed, police said, make it a habit to take all valuables out of your car and then lock your car.

On Monday, News4Jax went to Green Acres Sporting Goods and found two people -- a customer and the store sales manager -- whose guns were stolen from their cars.

"I had a pistol in my console and I had a rifle under the seat," said Z. Farhat, sales manager at Green Acres Sporting Goods. "About a year and a half after, they found the pistol. They pulled some guy over. He had a warrant out and they found the gun with him."

Farhat did the right thing by locking his doors, but unfortunately, the thief went a step further and busted out his window.

According to JSO, 60 percent of auto burglaries involve unlocked cars. The 521 guns stolen this year from unlocked cars -- that number increases when the number of weapons stolen from locked vehicles is included.

One way to help prevent your gun from being stolen out of your car is to lock it up in a safe.

"You can mount it directly into the vehicle. Anchor it down. It's big enough to hold one full-sized pistol or two smaller pistols," Farhat said. "They range from $30 up to $200."

Officer Melissa Bujeda, a spokeswoman for JSO, said there's no specific type of gun stolen or location. She said if thieves find an unlocked car, they'll take whatever they can -- no matter what part of town they're in.

"I mean, 521 guns were stolen just in 2017 to date," Bujeda said. "I'm sure we're going to have more as the rest of the year goes on. It's astonishing to me every time I see that number come, and I cannot believe how many people have left their guns in sight."

Bujeda said the number of guns stolen from cars this year is about the same as previous years, but that's a problem because they want to see that number go down.

Remember, it only takes one second to lock your doors. But most important, Bujeda said, is to keep your guns inside your home -- not your car.

[SHEPHERD321]

Not everyone can have a boating accident.

[bogey1]

I leave mine on the dashboard.

[Emptymag]

There will be a dozen people responding to this thread stating that they never lock their cars.

Stupid as fuck - whether there are valuables/gun inside or not.



Some dumb fuck was on the news last week "warning" others not to leave all of their newly purchased Christmas gifts in their UNLOCKED SUV overnight. (all stolen)
No shit, Sherlock.

[free]

Stupid as fuck - whether there are valuables/gun inside or not.

Nothing to steal. And locks are not going to keep out anyone who wants in. So why have someone break my window just to find that out?

Why is not locking your doors stupid as fuck?

What if your car is not enclosed anyway? What if you are driving with no top? Or doors, for that matter?

[Carson]

I leave mine on the dashboard.

Ironically, most thieves will think it is a set up and leave that gun alone.

[Emptymag]

For every story I've heard of windows being broken out, I've heard a dozen about unlocked cars being rifled through.

That's why. Because people don't just go randomly breaking out windows the way they check cars for unlocked doors.

And yes, you should absolutely lock the doors on your Jeep if the top is off.
Wait - maybe it wouldn't make a difference since the whole vehicle is exposed. Wow, thanks, I never would have thought of that.

[Carson]

Nothing to steal. And locks are not going to keep out anyone who wants in. So why have someone break my window just to find that out?

Why is not locking your doors stupid as fuck?

What if your car is not enclosed anyway? What if you are driving with no top? Or doors, for that matter?

I had a Honda Accord that was broken into three times. For keeping my doors and glove box locked, I got three seperate windows broken (1 that never worked properly again) and a busted up glovebox/dashboard that couldn’t be repaired short of a whole new dash. Thank goodness for bunjie cords.

[free]

For every story I've heard of windows being broken out, I've heard a dozen about unlocked cars being rifled through. That's why. Because people don't just go randomly breaking out windows the way they check cars for unlocked doors. And yes, you should absolutely lock the doors on your Jeep if the top is off. Wait - maybe it wouldn't make a difference since the whole vehicle is exposed. Wow, thanks, I never would have thought of that.

You answered one out of five questions....and I found the one answer you gave unconvincing.

I keep hoping that if I leave my doors unlocked, eventually maybe someone will "rifle through" it and decide, "Jezuz - this dude is a slob. I'm gonna clean this dump of a car up for him".

I had a Honda Accord that was broken into three times. For keeping my doors and glove box locked, I got three seperate windows broken (1 that never worked properly again) and a busted up glovebox/dashboard that couldn’t be repaired short of a whole new dash. Thank goodness for bunjie cords.

Yeah. You are a slow learner (: I'd probably end up with slashed windows. Or hell, maybe they'll just steal the entire window....or at least tear it off and fling it across the parking lot where I may not find it before someone else does.

[bogey1]

Ironically, most thieves will think it is a set up and leave that gun alone.

The smart ones anyway.