Thus far this 12 months, about 1,200 weapons have been stolen out of vehicles in Atlanta. However regardless of what suburbanites outdoors the perimeter might inform themselves, that’s not simply an Atlanta drawback. It’s an issue all through your entire state. In response to WSB-TV, about 14,000 weapons are stolen in Georgia yearly. And the mayor of Savannah is so sick of it that they’re able to introduce a brand new ordinance that targets irresponsible gun house owners who go away them of their vehicles unsecured.

“It is a chance to lower the thefts [and the] unlawful firearms. The shootings additionally, we consider, will lower as nicely,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson advised the Savannah Morning Information.

Additionally, to be clear, we’re not precisely speaking about roving bands of criminals breaking random automobile home windows on the off-chance that in the event that they examine the glovebox, they may discover a Sig Sauer. That does occur, however because it seems, the overwhelming majority of weapons stolen out of vehicles had been left in autos that weren’t even locked. The Morning Information stories that of the 176 weapons stolen out of vehicles to date this 12 months, 82 p.c had been in unlocked autos. That’s down barely from 2021 and 2022 however nonetheless ridiculously excessive.

Savannah isn’t alone, both. In response to WSB-TV, at the least 266 weapons have been stolen out of autos in Gwinett County, with about two-thirds of them being stolen out of unlocked vehicles. And in Atlanta, police have launched a Clear Automobiles Marketing campaign to encourage residents to not go away valuables in plain sight or go away their weapons of their vehicles. “Assist us show you how to and safe your firearms in someplace safe and never in a automobile,” Juan Madiedo from the Gwinnett County Police Division advised WSB-TV.

So far as the brand new ordinance in Savannah goes, that’s reportedly nonetheless being written, so we don’t have quite a lot of particulars to share. However along with requiring gun house owners to safe their weapons inside their vehicles, they’ll additionally should report any stolen or misplaced firearms inside 24 hours. “I feel that is one thing all Georgians, whether or not they’re gun advocates or in favor of gun management have to take fairly significantly,” Georgia state regulation professor Timothy Lytton advised WSB-TV.

Even in the event you don’t dwell in Georgia, we’d argue he’s nonetheless right. You shouldn’t be leaving weapons in your vehicles, however in the event you insist on having a driving gun to go together with your purchasing gun, workplace gun, front room gun, kitchen gun, and bed room weapons, on the very least, simply lock your automobile and preserve it out of sight. Please?