The Corpus Christi Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives held a press conference today to discuss gun security. Agents and Officers found it imperative to ask the public for help in doing their part in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.
According to statistics provided at the press conference, since 2017, there have been 618 guns stolen from vehicles in Corpus Christi. Only 131 of those guns have been recovered. Currently, there is no national database that tracks any gun sold in this country. Authorities say some of those guns have been traced to other crimes. CCPD says 60 percent of stolen guns are from driveways. Often times, the cars were actually left unlocked. They advise folks to always take guns out of their vehicles when they are home for the day and lock them in a safe.
“It’s a combination, sometimes people are just complacent. They don’t think it’ll happen to them. And of course, just forgetting. You know, we have a hundred things on our mind. We just forget to lock it or bring it in with you,” said Lt. Coby Burris with CCPD.
Officers also say it helps their investigation when they are provided with the make, model and caliber of the weapon.
“Most often when a firearm is stolen. They are reporting that their firearm is stolen but they don’t have this information. And therefore if the gun is ever recovered, if it’s ever found there is no way to know who it actually belongs too,” said Mickey French, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for ATF Houston Division.
By the way, the CCPD has gun locks that they give away for free. Those can be picked up at the Police Department at 321 John Sartain. Officers will also be handing them out at several events happening around town in the near future.
