Gun thefts on rise; recovering those weapons gets harder

The number of stolen guns is on the rise and recovering those weapons is getting harder.

Last year, more than $120,000 worth of guns were reported stolen. If you peg the average price of a gun at $300, about one gun a day was reported stolen last year in Columbia.

In Boone County, the number was higher. In 2016, the county had $163,005 worth of stolen guns reported. In 2015, $122,990 worth was reported stolen.

Detective Tom O’Sullivan, with Boone County Sheriff’s Department, said gun owners that leave guns in their car or unlocked in a safe are the easiest targets.

“I think carelessness is probably a good way to put it,” O’Sullivan said. “You got to properly secure your firearms. I mean that’s part of being a responsible firearm owner.”

In 2016, the value of guns returned to their owners was $33,504. In 2015, the total was $36,554.

O’Sullivan said it’s hard for the department to get the weapons back to the owners. Often times they recover the weapon during a traffic stop or drug arrest, but it’s seldom that it just “happens.”

O’Sullivan advises gun owners to never leave their gun in a car overnight, out of reach for children, always lock it in a safe, and if you do need to leave it in your car make sure it’s secure and hidden and your doors are locked.