Why Gun Thefts From Cars Aren't Just On Gun Owners

It’s not the first time we’ve seen the police somewhere make this claim.

You see, police departments all over the nation have taken to the media to point out how criminals are breaking into cars in an effort to steal guns. The bad guys can’t buy them legally, so they take to stealing them. Plus, you’re less likely to get shot by breaking into someone’s car than by breaking into their home.

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The latest department to do so is the Richmond, VA Police Department.

Richmond police are sending a message to gun owners – don’t leave guns accessible in your car. The warning comes as investigators are noticing many of the stolen guns they’ve confiscated are coming from cars that thieves have broken into.

Last year around 450 guns were stolen in Richmond. More than half of them came from cars that thieves got into. Those guns were easy to get their hands on. Police say that can be dangerous.

The right to bear arms is one that comes with responsibility.

“Whether it’s one gun or 200 guns, it gives somebody the opportunity to use that weapon in a violent crime,” Lt. Dave Naoroz said.

Now, I agree that if you’re going to leave your gun in the car, you should secure it in such a way that it’s not likely to be stolen.

However, I’m tired of this always being on gun owners. The government itself has a role in all of this, one that’s curiously absent from these discussions.

You see, to understand that role, ask yourself why do people leave guns in their cars?

Some people keep a gun in the car because they legally can, but they can’t carry it other places. Others have the required permits to carry a gun, but they can’t carry it into certain places. All of these means guns are being left in people’s vehicles. They’re being left because they don’t have much choice except to go unarmed everywhere else they need to go.

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No one should have to make that choice.

If officials are serious about wanting to prevent guns from being stolen out of cars, perhaps it’s time to stop making it so damn hard for people to keep guns on their person instead. We don’t hear about a rash of guns being stolen out of people’s holsters, now do we? Of course, we don’t. That’s because it doesn’t happen.

Cars are unattended because people have things to do. Leaving a gun in the car is unlikely to be anyone’s first choice, but they do it out of a sense of necessity. So, remove that necessity and guess what happens? That’s right, fewer people leave their guns in the car. Everyone wins.

Of course, the flip side of this is that everywhere else becomes a whole lot safer, thank you very much.

Honestly, it’s a win for everyone…except for gun grabbers, of course, since they can’t tar us all with the “irresponsible” brush as they like to do. Frankly, they’ll get over it, especially when the rest of us make the world safer for them.

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