The Metro Nashville Police Department reported that 641 firearms have been stolen in Davidson County this year, with 436 of those thefts occurring in Nashville.
Vehicle break-ins accounted for 68% of the thefts; In the last week alone, 17 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville, the department said in a news release.
"The MNPD strongly encourages Nashvillians and visitors to lock their automobile doors, secure any valuables, especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS," the department said.
This trend follows larger nationwide patterns. A gun was stolen from a vehicle at least once every nine minutes in 2022, according to a study conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that advocates for gun control. The study estimated that in Memphis,
more than 3,000 firearms were stolen from vehicles that year.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: More than 600 guns stolen in Davidson County this year
