Stolen guns contribute to crime in the river region, officials say

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As law enforcement works to curb crime, one problem officers tell us they continue to fight is stolen guns falling into the wrong hands.

We talked to two different agencies about just how big of a risk this is to our community.

We often see people arrested and charged with murder and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

But how are felons getting their hands on guns, and what can you do to help stop it?

“In law enforcement, drugs, guns, and money all move in the same circles,” said Chief Jamey Kitchens, Grovetown Police Department.

While the CSRA has seen multiple shootings these past few weeks, there have also been other crimes lately.

Less violent and involve a jiggle of a door handle.

“These that we are seeing are not smash and grab. These are folks that are pulling on door handles because they know folks are not securing their vehicles,” he said.

From February 2021 to February 2022, about 470 guns were reported stolen in Richmond County. About 120 were reported stolen in Columbia County. Only 40 were recovered. Law enforcement agencies tell us a good percentage are nabbed from cars.

Chief Deputy Pat Clayton, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said: “A good portion of them are drug addicts. They normally sell the guns; they’ll sell them for astronomically low prices.”

In 2021, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says they recovered a little more than 330 guns from people they were arresting. About eight percent of those cases involved a stolen gun.

As of April 1, GPD said they had 52 entering auto cases. Nine of those cases had a weapon stolen. Seventeen percent of car break-ins resulted in gun theft.

Sgt. Matthew Williamson, GDPS said: “We do have a few victims that have had the same gun stolen out of their car multiple times.”

Law enforcement agencies hope you’ll take the time to take your gun out of your car when you’re not in it, so that it stays out of the wrong hands. Law enforcement agencies tell us they recover a lot of stolen guns from traffic stops or during other crimes.

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