Sioux Falls Councilor: Punish gun owners who leave firearms in unlocked vehicles

A rash of firearm thefts from unlocked vehicles and garages has at least one Sioux Falls official toying with the idea of establishing penalties for the victims.

Sioux Falls police this week alerted media that four handguns had been stolen since Thursday from four different unlocked cars, and a total of eight firearms have been stolen from unlocked cars in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area since May 29. At least one of those firearms was used in the commission of a crime.

That has Councilor Pat Starr investigating whether the city has the ability to establish an ordinance to penalize gun owners who don't keep their firearms locked up.

Previously:: Police: Stop leaving guns in unlocked cars

"I'm a big believer in the Second Amendment, and I believe that people have the right to bear their arms, but at the same time it comes with a responsibility," Starr told his fellow councilors Tuesday afternoon at Carnegie Town Hall. "There were four just this weekend, and I don’t know how much clearer we can be without increasing the penalty at some point."

More: Police: Gun stolen from unlocked car turns up in drug rip

That could be a tough sell for Starr, though. A long-standing South Dakota law prohibits counties and local governments from using ordinances to restrict "possession, transportation, sale, transfer, ownership, manufacture, or repair of firearms or ammunition."

That statute led to former Mayor Mike Huether in 2012 reluctantly rescinding a 15-year-old executive order barring firearms from City Hall and other publicly-owned property in Sioux Falls.

The City Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.