MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Stealing guns from cars is a common occurrence in Memphis. So common that the Bluff City has risen to the top nationally in gun thefts from vehicles. That’s according to a report by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund – based on data supplied to the FBI.
Memphis averages more than 193 gun thefts from vehicles per 100,000 residents. That’s slightly ahead of Chattanooga, which ranked second. In fact, the top five cities in the Everytown report are all in the south – which speaks volumes about the gun culture in this region.
And while it’s fine for Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to blame careless gun owners for failing to secure their weapons, the blame also should be shared by others. Specifically, the Republican supermajority in the state legislature. These lawmakers have never met a relaxed gun law they didn’t like. They passed legislation a few years back allowing people to carry guns in their vehicles. And more recently, they allowed adult Tennesseans to go armed in the public without a gun permit or gun training.
So it stands to reason why Memphis is leading the nation in gun thefts from cars. Of course, our lawmakers will only dismiss the Everytown report as just another piece of liberal propaganda. And nothing will change until – God forbid – a member of their family is injured or worse from a stolen gun. And probably not even then.