Criminals grab dozens of guns out of cars in Renton

Renton police say more than one gun stolen weekly

We've all heard the warnings — when you leave your car, take your phone, your purse, and any valuables. But what about your gun?

RENTON, Wash. - We’ve all heard the warnings, when you leave your car, take your phone, your purse, all of your valuables, but what about your gun? People leaving their unsecured gun in their car is triggering a newfound concern in the city of Renton.

Renton Police received 57 stolen gun reports in Renton just this year, that’s more than one a week, and the year isn’t over.

What's happening to the stolen guns?

"What we were seeing from that was the number of stolen firearms that we were recovering are from suspects," Renton Police Chief Jon Schuldt said.

Out of the 57 stolen gun reports, 86% of them were taken from cars. That’s 49 guns that were left unsecured in a car, 39 of those were during a car prowl, the 10 others during a car theft or attempted theft.

Chief Schuldt told FOX 13, while those numbers are disturbing, his concern is what those guns are going to be used for on the street.

"We’ve put a firearm on the street that shouldn’t be there. Potentially in the hands of a juvenile or a felon, someone that doesn’t, or shouldn’t, have one in the first place–for obvious reasons," Schuldt said.

How pervasive is the problem of unsecured weapons in vehicles?

Since 2020, Renton PD has recovered 405 stolen weapons, and data the department released to FOX 13, shows that more than half of them, 54%, were taken from vehicles.

These findings come at a time when the city is seeing an uptick in carjackings and robberies. "It really puts not only the community, but officers at risk when somebody leaves that firearm unsecured in a vehicle with the potential of it being stolen," Schuldt said.

If you do have to leave a gun in a car, secure it in a safe, storage case, or gun vault and don’t leave it loaded, Schuldt said.

In his nearly 30 years with the Renton Police Department, Schuldt said he understands the weight that comes with owning a gun.

"It is an enormous responsibility when you choose to carry a gun, just do it in a responsible fashion, and that absolutely includes securing it," Schuldt said.

Right now, there isn’t a penalty for leaving an unsecured gun in a car, Schuldt said, but he’s urging everyone to be considerate for the community’s safety and the impact an action like that could carry and the potential consequences.