ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) — A new study from Every Town for Gun Safety Support Fund showed St. Louis at nearly the top of the list of areas with high rates of stolen guns from vehicles.
The organization used FBI crime data from 2022 to compile the findings. St. Louis ranks third in the nation with 288 gun thefts from cars for every 100,000 people. Only Atlanta and Memphis had higher rates.
According to the data, St. Louis had 859 total incidents of guns stolen from cars in 2022. Elsewhere in the region, St. Charles had 25 thefts, and O’Fallon, Missouri had 11.
The problem has been seen in several municipalities. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said just this week, two firearms were stolen from unlocked vehicles.
“For us, it’s a concern because those firearms end up being used in other crimes, not just in Jefferson County but throughout the entire St. Louis region,” he said. “When people leave their vehicles unlocked and leave their firearms in there, it increases and encourages a number of other crimes as well, and it’s important for us to remind those who have a firearm to remove it from the vehicle at nighttime.”
Marshak said one easy tactic to avoid the issue is to simply lock up the car and take the firearm inside.
“When criminals are successful, and they get valuables such as firearms, purses and wallets from unlocked vehicles, they’re gonna continue the pattern,” he said. “We’re gonna see crimes continue if we allow this, so we have to make it more difficult for criminals to access these types of things.”
Beth Tharp of De Soto agrees.
“People in Jefferson County have a bit of a false feeling that they’re safe in their cars and they won’t lock their car,” she said. “I lock my car all the time because I don’t think you should presume it would be safe.”
The gun thefts are under investigation by the Jefferson County Detective Bureau. Anyone with information can contact 636-797-5515.
The study from Every Town for Gun Safety Support Fund can be found here.
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