‘Secure Your Guns’: Ogden police campaign to stop firearm thefts
OGDEN — Ogden police have launched a public awareness campaign promoting firearms security, highlighting ways that owners can keep their guns from being stolen.
“Your vehicle is not a gun safe,” Ogden Police Department Officer Harrison Chen said in a video the agency has released as part of its “Secure Your Guns” campaign.
Police Chief Eric Young narrated the video, beginning the piece with data: Nationally, 720 guns are stolen every day, one every two minutes and 30 every hour. Of those, 52% are stolen from a vehicle, Young said, adding, “Horrifically, a significant number of those guns are used to injure or kill police officers. Will your gun be one of them?”
Fewer than 2% of all state and federal prisoners had legitimately obtained firearms used in the crimes for which they were convicted, according to a 2016 study by the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Other officers on the Ogden video said that many stolen firearms end up being used in family disputes, including causing injuries involving children.
“We’re trying to increase the public’s awareness that it’s easier for criminals to access guns in vehicles and other unsecure locations,” Ogden police spokesperson Lt. William Farr said in an interview.
If vehicles have pro-weapons window stickers, “it’s almost an advertisement that there may be weapons in those vehicles,” Farr said.
He cited a common scenario as an indication of the dangers resulting from gun thefts: Convicted felons are restricted from buying firearms legitimately, so they resort to stealing guns themselves or buying stolen firearms from other criminals.
“With a little thought and effort, you can ensure your guns are not stolen, used in violent crime or involved in tragedy,” Young said on the video, which is available on YouTube and social media.
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- “Your vehicle is not a gun safe,” Police Officer Harrison Chen says in a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
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- A screen grab from a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
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- Window stickers promoting gun ownership are an invitation to gun thieves, according to a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
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- A screen grab from a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
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- Stolen guns are an underground economy among criminals, according to a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
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- Stolen guns are often used in violent crimes, according to a “Secure Your Guns” public awareness video that the Ogden Police Department released on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.