“We continue to encourage gun owners to keep their firearms secured and to safely dispose of any unwanted firearms,” Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Gun violence is one of our biggest challenges and easy access to stolen guns isn’t helping.”

According to the city, more than 700 firearms were stolen from vehicles or during auto thefts and another 500 were stolen during residential burglaries in Albuquerque in 2018.