Thefts of guns from unlocked vehicles in Mobile are on the decline from a year ago, according to the city’s executive director of public safety.

James Barber, who oversees the police and fire departments, said Thursday that a multi-faceted approach to reducing gun crime in Mobile led to what he says is about a 40% drop in the number guns stolen from vehicles.

Chief among the reasons, he said, is a public awareness campaign that the city instituted earlier this year following a rash of gun violence and the January killing of one of the city’s police officers by someone wielding a stolen gun.

“I had a lady tell me the other day that her husband watched one of the PSAs, got up off his chair and went outside and secured his gun right afterward,” said Barber. “I do credit this to public awareness.”

So far this year, the number of stolen guns taken from vehicles is around 160, down from 270 this same time last year, Barber said.

“This is simply a good news story,” said Councilman John Williams. “We should all be thankful this is the case today and we need to continue the efforts and make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure guns are being secured and are in the right hands.”

The issue rose to the forefront of local media stories in March and April, after Councilman C.J. Small put forward a resolution requesting the state support “reasonable” actions by the city to deal with gun thefts.

Data show that approximately 1,200 guns were stolen from vehicles in Mobile during 2018, and of those, 80% were taken from unlocked vehicles.

Small, at the time, said he was looking for answers after constituents approached him wondering what the city was doing about the gun violence. He said Thursday he was unaware of Barber’s comments or the latest statistics.

At one point in March, there was talk in the city of establishing some kind of punishment for gun owners who happened to leave firearms unsecured inside a vehicle. Barber, however, strongly urged the City Council to avoid this route.

Williams said Tuesday that the news about declining thefts illustrates why it’s important not to intrude on law-abiding gun ownership.

“I am absolutely against anything that tells you how to handle,” said Williams. “I do think that right comes with responsibility. We need to continue to plea and make it known that responsibility is part of gun ownership.”

In April, the council unanimously endorsed a resolution that involved the following:

Requested state lawmakers grant Mobile more independence in determining reasonable regulations to prevent firearm thefts from unlocked vehicles.

Urged legislative support of HB375, which makes it a Class C felony for someone who is arrested to be in possession of a stolen gun. That bill was approved by the Legislature, and awaits Gov. Kay Ivey’s signature.

Urged legislative support of HB282 , a constitutional amendment giving judges more authority to deny bond to suspects who are viewed as a risk to reoffend. That amendment didn’t pass.

State Rep. Chip Brown, R-Mobile, the sponsor of HB282, said the amendment got held up in the Senate, where members “basically ran out of time” to get it through.

“It was in the Senate Judiciary Committee and it was the second to last day of the session … We were one of about 15 bills on the agenda that day,” said Brown. “We were the last one. When they finally got to our bill, the (committee) failed to have a quorum and couldn’t vote.”

Brown said he plans to revive the amendment, and could ask that it be considered if Ivey calls a special session this fall to deal with state’s prisons. “In my opinion, bond reform is germane to the subject of prisons,” Brown said.

Barber said the constitutional amendment is something that law enforcement agencies favor. He said that it could be effective in keeping suspects like 19-year-old Marco Perez in jail.

Perez, who had a criminal record, and was wanted in connection with various new crimes, allegedly shot and killed Mobile police Officer Sean Tuder in January as Tuder sought to arrest him. Police said that the slaying weapon was a stolen gun.