A record-breaking number of guns have been stolen from cars in Tennessee. State Democrats are introducing legislation to crack down on gun owners.

A new bill introduced in the Tennessee House and Senate would make it an offense to irresponsibly leave a gun in a car or boat.

If passed, a gun owner would be liable for leaving a firearm unattended — unless it is safely stored. Safe storage is defined as the gun or the ammunition being out of sight and locked in a trunk, glove box or lockbox.

And if the gun was stolen, the owner would be required to report the theft to law enforcement.

A reporting requirement has long been a sticking point when discussing possible consequences for gun owners. Some worried that a punishment would disincentivize gun owners from reporting the theft in the first place, thusly obscuring the numbers of guns that are stolen each year.

This safe storage bill seeks to address a problem created by lawmakers in 2013. A law passed, often referred to as ‘guns in trunks’, that allows gun owners in Tennessee to treat their car like an extension of their house when it comes to carrying.

Since then, the number of guns stolen from cars has exploded. In Nashville, it’s risen from 200 in 2013 to nearly 1,400 last year.

Legislators also passed a permitless carry law, which went into effect in 2021. Law enforcement and others urged the governor not to sign that bill into law out of fear that it could exacerbate the guns stolen from cars problem further.

National data show that guns stolen from cars is more prevalent in Tennessee’s cities, like Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville, than in other parts of the country.

But because of the Republican supermajority, this bill would require bipartisan support to pass into law.