Of the 134 guns reported stolen within city limits this year, 76 have been stolen from cars or trucks, including five just last week. That number is on track to surpass last year’s total number of guns stolen from vehicles (160).

Stolen guns are frequently used in serious crimes, including robberies, carjackings, and shootings, both in Knoxville and in cities across the region and country.

The Knoxville Police Department encourages Knoxville residents and visitors to take the following precautions to prevent these thefts:

– Always secure your vehicle by locking the doors and rolling up the windows

– Safely secure or remove all valuables from your vehicle, particularly firearms. Firearms should be stored in a lockbox

– Never leave your keys inside your vehicle, which also greatly reduces the possibility that your vehicle will be stolen

If your gun is stolen, it should immediately be reported to the police. With that, investigators have also emphasized the importance of knowing the serial numbers of your firearms in the event that they are stolen.