Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly is calling on state lawmakers to pass legislation intended to help prevent gun thefts from cars.
The push comes due to the fact that the mayor says the city has one of the highest rates of gun theft out of cars in the nation.
And one study shows it's been an ongoing issue.
Chattanooga had the second-highest rate of gun thefts from cars per capita in 2020, according to one research firm.
Shocking numbers from an Everytown Research and Policy study stemming from 2011 to 2020:
“Chattanooga has one of the highest rates of gun theft out of cars in the nation. And one thing we know for sure, is that when guns get stolen out of cars, they ended up getting used in crimes," says Mayor Tim Kelly.
Now, Mayor Tim Kelly is joining mayors of Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis in calling for lawmakers to put a bill carrying harsher penalties for leaving a gun unattended in a car on the fast track.
HB1233/SB1029 will be heard by committees in the Tennessee General Assembly on Wednesday.
Under the bill, firearms and ammunition improperly stored and secured in a vehicle or boat could result in a misdemeanor punishable by having to complete a firearm safety course.
There would be no fines or jail time under the bill which also includes failure to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 24 hours as an offense.
The research firm Everytown Research and Policy recently found in 2020 that Chattanooga was the second-highest U.S. city for rates of gun thefts from cars per capita: 193.1 per 100,000 people, trailing only Memphis, which has 193.6 guns stolen from cars per 100,000 people.
The mayoral letter says
Gun thefts from vehicles are occurring in staggering numbers across the state of Tennessee. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported 121 guns as being stolen from Nashville vehicles already this year. More than 70% of ALL guns reported stolen in and around Nashville in 2023 thus far were reported as being stolen from vehicles. Cities like Nashville (+14%), Memphis (+23%), Chattanooga (+24%), and Knoxville (+36%) all experienced notable increases in gun thefts from cars from 2019 to 2020—the most recent year for which NIBRS data is available.
Read the full letter from Tennessee mayors below:
According the NRA, when leaving a firearm in your vehicle the key is keeping it out of sight.
Consider leaving it in a discreet lock box in your glovebox or trunk, and always try to limit your time away from the vehicle.
Gun Safety Expert Chase Sneed says he carries a gun to protect him from any unexpected danger when he is in public.
But he says he often sees many people make one common mistake:
“You see a lot of these people that have logos and gun stickers on the back of their car. And that's like a signal that for sure they're carrying a gun in their car," says Sneed.
Mayor Kelly says the bill could help to keep guns from being stolen and getting into the wrong hands.
A reality he knows all too well...
“It would mainly help gun owners do what they should do anyway, which is secure their weapons," says Mayor Kelly. "I'm a gun owner. Unfortunately, I've been the victim of theft before.”
Depend on us to keep you posted.