Stolen guns in Dayton a pricy solution for those not permitted to carry

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Dayton Police has released numbers on guns stolen since 2018, with consistently increasing figures.

Authorities say a majority of gun crimes involve guns stolen from those with lawful ownership.

Data shows gun thefts in Dayton have gone up every year since 2018. Police say most of these guns will be targeted for use in a crime.

“Those guns are going to be used to do harm onto other people. That’s the only reason they are being stolen,” said Deputy Chief Matt Haines with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

In total, 1,898 guns have been reported stolen in Dayton from 2018 to July of last year. Last year, 306 guns were reported stolen in Dayton.

Through July 25 of this year, 179 guns have been stolen. This is already more than halfway to the numbers set last year.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has been closely watching stolen gun trends. They say many are left in cars – either in plain sight or only somewhat hidden.

“Some of the suspects tell us when we caught them and charged them that, yes, they are definitely looking for guns in unlocked cars and that seems to be the biggest thing,” said Haines.

Guns can still be stolen inside your homes as well, emphasizing the importance of securing your guns in a lockbox or safe.

“It’s best if you can, to keep it locked up somewhere. So it keeps it out of unauthorized hands. Because these people are stealing these guns because they can’t run down to a gun store and purchase it, they are doing it because they are prohibited from having a gun, and those guns are also worth quite a bit of money on the street for other people who are not allowed to have guns,” said Haines.

And with no requirements to register your firearms – authorities say guns are now more common in communities than ever before.

“Guns have become more prevalent in society, because now you necessarily don’t need to carry a permit to carry a gun,” said Haines.

Authorities say the most important thing to do to protect yourself and your community, is to report a stolen firearm immediately.

“There are times when we are tracking down the owners of firearms after they have been used in crimes, only to find out that it was stolen, and maybe somebody didn’t even report it to law enforcement. If you have a firearm, and it is taken, report that immediately. So that if we spot it on the street, we can enter it into a nationwide database, and try to get it recovered and get it out of the hands of a criminal,” said Haines.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office recommends storing firearms in a locked box or safe.

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