SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When it comes to reducing the number of crimes involving guns, police say the community has to help.
They told us today they are frustrated by the number of guns that are stolen each week and a lot of times they end up in the wrong hands and those committing the crimes are getting younger.
“It’s something we see regularly, at least once a week we are seeing at least one gun that’s stolen from an unlocked car,” Sioux Falls Police Information Officer Sam Clemens said.
Police say those stolen guns are at the root of a lot of crimes that are being committed in Sioux Falls.
“A lot of the guns we find that are used in crimes are not purchased, they are stolen,” Sioux Falls Chief of Police Jon Thum said.
That’s why they are pleading with the public; if you own a gun, make sure it’s secured.
“We need to get better in our own community doing things like locking your car doors if you have a gun in it or bring your gun inside your house,” Thum said.
The Chief says it’s really that simple. He says this is not a political issue on gun control.
“That’s not this conversation, so we are not going to twist it that way, it’s about being accountable for your property and your possessions and making sure it is where it should be,” Thum said.
The last place a gun should be, law enforcement says, is in a teenager’s hands.
“I can tell you law enforcement, teachers, and principals and superintendents are all concerned about the number of juveniles that we find in possession of firearms,” Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said.
Firearms, they say, that have been used in a rash of recent crimes.
Police don’t have an exact number of how many guns have been stolen this year, that’s not something they track, but they say it’s enough that the public should be concerned.