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'Gun ownership is a huge responsibility': Tacoma police address gun theft in the city

The Tacoma Police Department is calling on the city’s gun owners to be more responsible with their firearms so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) says it’s making headway when it comes to gun theft in the city.

According to TPD, by this time last year, 71 guns were stolen out of vehicles in Tacoma. This year, that number dropped to 51.

Officer Shelbie Boyd says that’s a good thing but wants to make sure to credit the city’s gun owners.

“That’s not because of us,” Boyd said. “That’s because responsible gun owners chose to store their guns differently.”

But Boyd also says there’s still work to do.

TPD says that 51 stolen guns mean that a gun has been stolen out of a vehicle every 57 hours this year so far, a trend that doesn’t just affect Tacoma, but the larger community.

“They’re going to reach out to King County, they’re going to reach out to Thurston County, they could go all the way out to California and beyond,” she said. “The same is true on the opposite. Guns stolen in King and Thurston County make their way to Tacoma as well, so when I say community, I mean the population of our state and beyond.”

Lynese Redeemer, Tacoma Fellow for Cities United, says the police department is on the right track, but as the city deals with increased youth violence, Tacoma’s gun owners can’t afford to not be vigilant when it comes to looking after their firearms, especially given who is at stake. 

“Every time we lose a child to gun crime, we lose two children, because another child has to bear the consequence,” Redeemer said. “If we were more responsible with our things, we have not only the opportunity to save one kid, but two kids, or more.”

Redeemer also says that using every means to address youth violence is vital, and time is of the essence.

“Recently at my church, I helped out at a funeral that they held for a 16-year-old boy, and it was absolutely heart-wrenching,” she recalled. “If we aren’t taking the proper measures to try and stop a situation like that from happening before it happens, then it’s just more heartbreak that a community that is not unfamiliar with, having to deal with more of it.”

That is why Officer Boyd says gun theft is a priority for the department, and one the entire gun-owning community should share.

“This is one way, one pipeline to keep these guns out of our youths’ hands or to be used against one of our youth,” Boyd says. “I can’t say it enough, gun ownership is a huge responsibility and making sure you’re doing everything you can to keep that gun out of that pipeline to be used on another human is essential.”

TPD also said that during last weekend’s Gun Giveback event, 128 guns were taken to be destroyed. Police Chief Avery Moore thanked those that came out and said the reclaimed guns won’t be harming young people in Tacoma’s streets.

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