Store
firearms in a safe place
If you've got a gun in the house, it's important to secure it
properly. Unfortunately, Louisiana ranks 10th in the number of
firearms stolen from owners, according to a Washington group
advocating responsible gun ownership.
The Americans for Gun Safety Foundation based its report on
statistics from the FBI and the National Criminal Information
Center.
In the past 10 years, 1.6 million firearms have been reported
stolen in the nation, including 47,000 in Louisiana, the
organization said, citing statistics from the FBI and National
Criminal Information Center.
About 170,000 of the stolen guns end up in the hands of
people who use them to commit more crimes, the foundation said.
Only about half the stolen guns are ever recovered by police.
The foundation is promoting a public awareness campaign
through licensed gun dealers to encourage owners to store guns
safely.
It is one of the basics of gun ownership to see that guns are
stored as safely as possible against theft. On the most
fundamental level, children should never be able to get easy
access to weapons, lest they harm themselves and others. But
there is a serious threat to public safety generally if homes
can be burglarized and guns easily stolen and put out on the
street.
There, they will doubtless not be used as their owners
intended.
http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/122302/opi_edi2001.shtml
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