JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another gun is in the hands of a criminal after it was stolen -- this time from a locked car -- Monday night in East Arlington.
Philip Chitty said both he and his girlfriend's vehicle were locked outside their home when they were burglarized. Chitty said nothing of great value was taken from his truck, however, a 9mm handgun was stolen from his girlfriend's car.
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"I don't know who's got the gun. It could have been some guy who just got out of jail, it could be a kid, you don't know," Chitty said. "It's one of those things where you think, 'This won't happen to me' and you wake up and (you discover) your car got broken into."
Jacksonville police say people who conceal weapons in their vehicles, like in the glove compartment, under the seat or in the truck, aren't doing enough. They must be taken out of the car and locked up in the home.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, more than 200 guns have been stolen from vehicles in 2018. There have been about 2,500 reported car burglaries, and more than half of those vehicles were unlocked.
Chitty said this was a wakeup call for him and his girlfriend.
"We just bought some cameras to put right over the garage," Chitty said. "If this happens again, we'll have a nice vivid picture of whoever did it."