Leaving a firearm unattended in your car is never a good idea. Leaving a firearm unattended in your unlocked car is an even worse idea and makes it all too easy for your gun to fall into the hands of a criminal.
And if you don’t know the serial number for your firearm, the odds of you getting it back drop dramatically.
In 2024, one-third of the firearms stolen out of vehicles in our county were not able to be entered into the nationwide database as stolen because the owners had no record of the serial number.
We encourage anyone who owns firearms to keep a record of the serial numbers. It can be a note on your phone, pictures of the guns showing the serial number or however you decided to store the information. That way, if you do become the victim of a theft, law enforcement has a way to alert other agencies that your gun is stolen.
There is no set place that a gun’s serial number is stamped. Different manufacturers use different placement, types and lengths of serial numbers, but it can typically be found on the handle, slide, trigger guard or receiver. (Reminder: Possession of a firearm with the serial number removed is a crime.)
The best way to make sure your gun doesn’t even need to be entered into the system is to make sure it is always secure. Car burglaries are a common crime, and more than 80 percent of those are unlocked vehicles. The most common things stolen are guns, wallets/purses and cash. None of those things should be left in your vehicle overnight, especially if you don’t lock it. Remember to follow the “9 p.m. Routine” and check every night that your valuables are secured, your vehicles and home are locked, and your security lights are on.
