Tennessee’s mayors call on lawmakers to pass legislation requiring the safe storage of guns in cars

Guns taken from cars end up in underground sales and illegal trafficking. After that, they usually turn up at crime scenes.

It’s a problem that is plaguing Tennessee’s cities, and national data from the FBI shows that guns are stolen from cars at higher rates here than other places.

However, this isn't just a Nashville problem, its a TN problem. The most striking chart came from FBI NIBRS data from 2020 that shows the top 20 cities in the country. 4 of top 15 are in TN including #1 and #2. WOWZA! Not what you want to be known for. pic.twitter.com/Gmj6BVL8NY

— Caleb Hemmer (@CalebHemmer) January 14, 2023

That’s why the mayors of Nashville, Shelby County, Knoxville and Chattanooga are calling on the state capitol to pass a bill that would impose penalties on gun owners who leave firearms in cars irresponsibly.

It also would require owners to report the theft — which has resulted in a decrease in illegal gun movement in other states that require it.

“As your partners in municipal government, we ask that our state leaders provide us with the tools necessary to combat this ever-growing crisis of guns stolen from vehicles,” the letter reads.

More: Here are the bills that gun control advocates are watching during this Tennessee legislative session

The bill makes it a misdemeanor criminal penalty for failing to safely store a gun or for failing to report a stolen gun to law enforcement.

“Law enforcement needs to know whose guns are getting stolen and from where,” says Linda McFadyen-Ketchum of Moms Demand Action Tennessee. “And the penalty … will be the requirement to attend a safety class. We’re not asking for jail time. We’re not fining people. We’re educating them.”

The mayors are looking to the state capitol for a fix to a problem that many attribute to a 2013 law. Often referred to as “guns in trunks,” it allowed gun owners to treat their cars like an extension of their homes when it comes to carrying.

Since then, the numbers of firearms taken from cars has ballooned.

Then, law enforcement and gun control advocates alike warned that Tennessee’s 2021 permitless carry law would likely only make matters worse.

The numbers in Nashville bore out those fears. According to MNPD data, nearly 1,400 guns were stolen from cars in 2022. That’s more than any year since the police department started tracking the problem over a decade ago, and only includes guns that have been reported missing.