More than 350 guns stolen from Montgomery vehicles since 2017

A Benelli 12-gauge shotgun.

A Smith & Wesson pistol.

A Browning .380-caliber handgun.

Martez Walters plucked these three firearms from vehicles during a robbery spree in Montgomery-area hotel parking lots late last year.

The firearms, which Montgomery police declined at the time to confirm whether or not they had been recovered, are three of the 300 guns MPD estimates were stolen from vehicles in 2017.

As of April 13, 415 vehicle burglaries in Montgomery have resulted in more than 70 reported firearm thefts.

"MPD strongly encourages the public to remove all personal and valuable property, including firearms, from vehicles and to secure their vehicles," MPD Capt. Regina Duckett said in an emailed statement.

The thefts are part of a growing national trend of firearms being stolen from vehicles —many left unlocked or seen as easy smash-and-grab targets — which law enforcement warns is funneling legally obtained guns into a black-market pipeline.

"Those that steal firearms commit violent crimes with stolen guns, transfer stolen firearms to others who commit crimes, and create an unregulated secondary market for firearms, including a market for those who are prohibited by law from possessing a gun," a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives report on stolen and lost firearms states.

More than 237,000 firearms were reported stolen in the United States in 2016, according to data from the FBI-maintained National Crime Information Center. Nonpartisan news outlet The Trace reports the 2016 number is a 68 percent increase since 2005.

ATF Special Agent Michael Knight of the Nashville Field Division calls gun thefts from cars a "growing issue."

"Some of it is based, indirectly, on certain laws and ordinances. If there’s an ordinance where you can’t bring a firearm into a school or government building, criminals know that as well," Knight said of owners storing guns in vehicles.

Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama registered the highest numbers of gun thefts in 2016, according to the NCIC data. A 2017 study of gun theft victims found that two-thirds of gun thefts occur in the South.

"Alabama has a rich history of gun ownership," Knight said. "When you have more of one item, you’re naturally going to have a percentage of that item being stolen or trafficked. With more legally armed people, your numbers are going to go up."

It's difficult to compile exact numbers, both locally and nationwide, because of piecemeal reporting laws across the country. Licensed firearm dealers are required by federal law to report loss or theft within 48 hours, but the law does not cover individual gun owners.

Gun thefts and losses are often underreported, experts say, and states such as Alabama don't require gun owners to report thefts or identifying gun data such as serial numbers.

"MPD enters stolen firearms into NCIC, the FBI database, when the required information is known (i.e. make, model, serial number)," MPD Capt. Regina Duckett said in an emailed statement. "MPD is required by FBI crime reporting standards to maintain statistics on the number of residential and vehicle burglaries, but not the specific property stolen. For that reason, MPD has a general understanding of the number of firearms stolen in vehicle burglaries, but that number is not 100 percent accurate."

Nine states plus the District of Columbia require owners to report lost or stolen guns.

These state laws range in scope and practice. In Massachusetts, gun owners are open to suspension or permanent revocation of gun permits if they violate the reporting law. Other states have specific time periods owners must meet. In New York and Rhode Island, owners must report loss or theft within a day of its discovery.

New Jersey has some of the strictest state laws for reporting loss or theft. If an assault weapon owner fails to notify police of theft or loss within a day of discovering the missing firearm, the registered owner can be held civilly liable for any crimes committed with the weapon.

Eddie Fulmer, president of guns rights group BamaCarry, said his organization encourages responsible gun ownership, including keeping detailed records of firearm serial numbers and removing "tell-tale signs" of gun ownership from your vehicle. But his group would push back against any legislation to tighten Alabama reporting requirements or vehicle storage guidelines.

"If you’re in a bad area, it might be a good idea to buy a lock box and keep it inside your vehicle," Fulmer said. "But, I would be against any kind of law saying you had to do that, because that would put another restriction or requirement on gun owners. We’re for responsible gun ownership but we don’t think you can legislate that in the law."

Though ATF does not make policy recommendations on state law or legislation, Knight said the bureau encourages 'due diligence' from gun owners or prospective gun owners in buying guns or securing vehicle firearms in locked safes.

"We want to make sure the public is aware of their responsibility," Knight said. "There’s a right to bear firearms, but there’s a responsibility that goes with that."