SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department says more than 3,100 guns were stolen by criminals from vehicles in 2023 in San Antonio, and those guns are sometimes used to commit other crimes in our area.
On Wednesday, city and county leaders addressed those concerns alongside the U.S. Department of Justice.
The press conference is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice, District Attorney Joe Gonzales, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
“Leaving your firearm unsecure in your vehicle is not just negligence, it’s an open invitation to chaos,” said US Attorney Jaime Esparza. “Think about it, the gun that was intended to protect yourself and your loved ones could end up in the wrong hands, wielded by somebody driven by desperation, fueled by rage, or blinded by ignorance.”
Data indicates more than 25,000 guns have been stolen from vehicles over the past few years across Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Esparza and local law enforcement stressed how this reality should be a wakeup call to everyone in the community.
“Your personal firearm could easily become a tool of a robbery or the trigger of a hate crime,” Esparza said. “It could steal the life of an innocent child, or the life of one of the many brave officers sworn to protect us.”
A crime map showed how the north and northwest sides of San Antonio are prominent areas of gun theft activity. Retail parking lots in addition to parts of Alamo Ranch have served as hot spots for such crime.
According to law enforcement, it takes just 15 seconds for thieves to break into vehicles and steal unsecured, which is why they emphasized the importance of investing in a safe.
"Purchase and invest in a gun safe. I will tell you that about six years ago I made the investment. A good gun safe will cost you probably about double of what the average handgun will go for at a gun shop," said Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales. "My gun safe is bolted to my truck,. Nobody is going to open that gun safe quickly."
In many cases, officials say the stolen guns end up being used in other crimes. McManus recalled the officer-involved shooting on Aug. 24, 2023, where Jesse Garcia, a man wanted on multiple felony warrants, allegedly led police on a pursuit, shooting two officers.
“Two officers were shot and injured while trying to apprehend a suspect wanted on multiple warrants. The gun used was stolen from a vehicle the night before," McManus said.
McManus noted police detective are seeing car break-ins throughout San Antonio, including hotel parking lots where tourists are leaving their guns in the car.
"If you know you are going to a business that prohibits weapons make prior arrangements so you don't have to leave the gun in the car. It only takes a few seconds to properly store your gun," McManus said.
Officials say there is increase of gun thefts being seen in our area, as well as lots of improperly securing firearms, especially in vehicles.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a partnership was announced with the non-profit COPS / Metro Alliance to purchase and give out 2,000 gun safes at no cost. Those gun safes would be installed in the console of a vehicle in a way that cannot be removed. According to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, the funding to purchase the safes had been identified by SAPD.
"True responsible gun ownership is a 24-hour endeavor,” said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. “It doesn’t do you any good to only know where that gun is when you’re awake. Most of our violent crimes here locally were driven by guns that were stolen from a vehicle at some point.”
Salazar said he intends to continue pushing for state legislation the makes burglary of a vehicle a felony crime.
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