rockin'robin
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Police say it's a growing trend, children with guns on the street in the Tampa Bay area. It turns out police believe several of those guns are stolen from unlocked cars, left behind by lawful gun owners.
"Over the years, we've noticed juveniles, kids, 14, 15, 16 years old with guns involved in violent acts out on the street,” said St. Petersburg Police spokesman Mike Puetz. "There are several places they can get them, but unlocked cars are a big part of the problem."
A search on social media will uncover videos posted by teens across the area of what appears to be young people holding guns and waving them in the air.
"We're very familiar with this type of thing. We've seen it on Facebook before,” Puetz said.
Many times, those kids are a part of neighborhood groups. Not quite gangs, but, according to Puetz, the groups can on occasion commit violent crimes in rival neighborhoods.
"Many times the investigation into these crimes goes nowhere because of the 'no snitching' mentality,” he said.
According to Puetz, auto burglaries are usually committed by teens and young adults. Numbers show 74 guns have been reported stolen from cars in St. Petersburg in the past year and a half.
Police said the vast majority of those vehicles were left unlocked.
St. Petersburg isn't alone. In 2014 the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported 68 gun thefts from cars. In 50 of those cases, the cars were unlocked.
In the City of Tampa, there have been 177 guns reported stolen across the board so far this year, stats that have some lawmakers calling for action.
"There must be some additional deterrent or sanction if a gun is not properly secured or for leaving a gun in an unlocked gun compartment or console of a car," State Rep. Darryl Rouson said.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/guns-stolen-from-cars-ending-up-in-young-hands
"Over the years, we've noticed juveniles, kids, 14, 15, 16 years old with guns involved in violent acts out on the street,” said St. Petersburg Police spokesman Mike Puetz. "There are several places they can get them, but unlocked cars are a big part of the problem."
A search on social media will uncover videos posted by teens across the area of what appears to be young people holding guns and waving them in the air.
"We're very familiar with this type of thing. We've seen it on Facebook before,” Puetz said.
Many times, those kids are a part of neighborhood groups. Not quite gangs, but, according to Puetz, the groups can on occasion commit violent crimes in rival neighborhoods.
"Many times the investigation into these crimes goes nowhere because of the 'no snitching' mentality,” he said.
According to Puetz, auto burglaries are usually committed by teens and young adults. Numbers show 74 guns have been reported stolen from cars in St. Petersburg in the past year and a half.
Police said the vast majority of those vehicles were left unlocked.
St. Petersburg isn't alone. In 2014 the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported 68 gun thefts from cars. In 50 of those cases, the cars were unlocked.
In the City of Tampa, there have been 177 guns reported stolen across the board so far this year, stats that have some lawmakers calling for action.
"There must be some additional deterrent or sanction if a gun is not properly secured or for leaving a gun in an unlocked gun compartment or console of a car," State Rep. Darryl Rouson said.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/guns-stolen-from-cars-ending-up-in-young-hands
Gun owners should held responsible if someone is killed b/c they left their gun in a unlocked car .
