Another 28 guns hit the streets after being stolen from cars in the Buckhead area in October, police say.
That continues a trend of more than 200 such thefts a year of firearms, ammo or gun accessories from cars.
Capt. Anthony Singh, assistant commander of the Atlanta Police Department’s Buckhead-area Zone 2 precinct, reported the number at the Nov. 5 meeting of NPU-A. He urged residents to stop leaving unsecured firearms in cars.
“We don’t want to put guns in the wrong person’s hand,” said Singh. “The teenagers, the 11-year-olds, the 12-year-olds — they know what to do with a gun now.”
Singh said the guns stolen from cars in the previous month included such high-quality brands as Glock, Sig Sauer and Smith & Wesson.
Many metro Atlanta police departments are warning residents to stop leaving any valuables unsecured in cars, with guns being the most dangerous item thieves often steal.
Last year, Sandy Springs police reported 54 gun thefts from cars, and Brookhaven police reported 22 stolen guns through July 31. In 2018, Zone 2 reported 230 stolen guns, ammo or firearm accessories in a combined stat.
“Quite frankly, if everyone would stop leaving valuables and guns in their cars, then this problem would go away,” Zone 2 commander Maj. Barry Shaw said earlier this year.