COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Hundreds of guns were stolen from vehicles in Columbus in 2023 and dozens were taken from vehicles in the first month of 2024.
NBC4 has reported on strings of car break ins over the past few years. Cmdr. Dave Hughes, Commander of the Property Crimes Bureau with the Columbus Division of Police (CPD), said criminals will break into vehicles without knowing a gun is inside, with the hopes one is.
“The word is out people are leaving guns unsecured in their vehicles,” Hughes said.
He said this has been happening most on the north and east sides of the city. That’s likely because people are leaving guns in their vehicles when they’re at malls, the airport or hotels, according to Hughes.
“It’s an easy way for them to get these weapons and further their criminal activity so it’s very dangerous for these guns to be falling into the wrong hands,” Hughes said.
Hughes urged people to leave their guns at home or use a lock box they can hide or cable to the seat. 770 guns were stolen out of vehicles in Columbus in 2023, according to CPD.
“That’s 770 guns on the street to be used in criminal activity. That’s the thing that’s very disheartening. It’s horrible. It’s a horrible number. It’s a preventable number,” said Eric Delbert, Owner of LEPD Firearms, Range and Training. “We hear it all the time. And we hear it a lot because of customers coming in needing to get serial numbers and information for a police report.”
He also urged people to stop leaving guns unsecured in vehicles. 69 guns were stolen from vehicles in Columbus in the first month of the year, according to CPD.
“In the car it’s a known thing, these criminals are trying to break into cars to see if they can find a gun and in today’s environment where a lot of people have concealed carry, a lot of people are carrying now under permitless carry, there’s a lot of firearms that are left behind in the cars. There’s no excuse for that,” Delbert said.
He said thieves are less likely to take the extra time to steal a gun if it’s secured properly in the car.
