The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is urging car and gun owners to be more responsible after an increase in guns stolen from cars. Over 516 guns have been stolen this year during car break-ins, which is up from 435.
"Stealing a gun out of a car it's big business for the criminals. There's no permit, no background check, no age requirement, no wait. They're sold immediately to other criminals and it's really a serious problem here in Charlotte,” said Larry Hyatt, owner of Hyatt’s Gun Shop.
CMPD says there's been a 20 percent increase in gun thefts during car break-ins. So far this year 516 guns stolen compared to 435 at the same time last year, 232 of those guns were taken from cars left unlocked. In Uptown the number of guns stolen during break-ins has nearly doubled.
Right now there is no penalty for gun owners whose guns were stolen from unlocked cars.
