Gun Laws & Legislation

More Than 940 Law Enforcement Guns Lost In California Since 2010

REUTERS/U.S. Navy.

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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An investigation by the Mercury News reveals that 944 law enforcement firearms have been lost in California since 2010. Among that number, 717 are unaccounted for, 192 were stolen and 35 were misplaced.

Six hundred semi-automatic pistols and revolvers were the bulk of the firearms that went missing, followed by 251 shotguns, 27 semi-automatic rifles, 16 long rifles, 15 sniper rifles, 12 grenade/tear gas launchers and 1 submachine gun.

According to The Mercury News, the stolen weapons were swiped from the back of car seats, inside of glove compartment boxes and gym bags, from dresser drawers and under beds.

“You just can’t leave a gun alone in a vehicle,” retired FBI Agent Jim Wedick told The Mercury News. “You just can’t do it.

Additionally, firearms were reportedly left on vehicle tailgates, car roofs, a trunk of a taxi, as well as on top of a toilet paper dispenser in a public bathroom. The Mercury News noted that the California Highway Patrol lost the most guns, with 40 misplaced firearms since 2010.

A spotlight was placed on the issue following the shooting death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in 2015. An illegal immigrant who used a gun stolen from a Bureau of Land Management agent’s car killed Steinle on a San Francisco pier.

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