The Leaf-Chronicle

How do so many guns end up in the hands of criminals? Many of them come from gun owners being reckless about where they keep them.

In Clarksville alone, 51 firearms have been reported stolen from inside vehicles since the beginning of the year, according to police spokesman Jim Knoll.

There have been about 373 vehicle burglaries this year, that is, some type of unlawful entry with the owner not present, he said.

Out of those 51 firearm thefts from vehicles, 42 vehicles were unlocked, 5 were claimed to be locked, but had no signs of forced entry, one had a door damaged to make entry, one had a window broken, and two were locked but left windows down.

Almost all of the vehicles were parked in the owner's driveway or in front of the residence. Most of the firearms were handguns, Knoll said. The monetary loss from firearm thefts added up to about $33,000.

"Vehicle burglaries are generally a crime of opportunity, and unlocked vehicles are prime targets," Knoll said. "So please take the extra couple of seconds to lock your doors, remove valuables from your vehicle, and make sure firearms are properly secured."

