Tampa police and the ATF are teaming up to ask the public to be more responsible with their guns.
Tampa Police Department reports a 32 percent increase in reported stolen guns this year. A large number of those stolen guns are coming from unlocked cars.
"I don't think there's a single neighborhood in the city of Tampa this year that hasn't had a gun stolen out of an unlocked vehicle." Tampa Police Capt. Paul Luscynski said.
Luscynski said the numbers speak for themselves: 375 guns have been reported stolen in the city so far this year, 105 from cars. In 2014 there were 285 total guns stolen.
"As a matter of fact, a gun that was stolen in a burglary was used in a robbery last night," Luscynski said.
That robbery was committed by a 17-year-old boy on North Florida Avenue.
"We strongly feel that a large number of our crime guns are coming through thefts," said Luscynski, adding there are simple steps you can take to be more responsible. "Lock your cars, do not leave valuables in plain view. These types of crimes are opportunistic. If a guy sees something of value, he's going to go in. If he doesn't, he’ll go to the next car."
He said people should also bring their guns into their homes at night and lock them up.
"It's a lot easier to steal a gun from a car than it is from a house,” he said.
There is also no law against leaving a gun in an unlocked car. There is a Florida law that requires people to keep their guns secured if there is a reasonable concern that children may have access.
