ATLANTA — To combat gun theft and gun violence, Atlanta Police received a grant to purchase lock boxes and give them away; however, due to a recall, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said it's been put on hold.
"We're having to find a different vendor," Schierbaum said.
In the meantime, the chief operator of Midtown's Stoddard's Gun and Range is sharing tips on how to lock up your firearms.
If your firearm ends up in the wrong hands, Schierbaum said, it can lead to crime. He broke down the statistics during Monday's public safety meeting.
"Last year, we removed 3,197 firearms from the streets of the city by people who should not be possessing them," Schierbaum said.
Of those, Chierbaum said, 477 weapons were stolen.
One way to keep guns off the streets is by locking them up. Ken Baye with Stoddard explains how with gun locks, trigger locks and pistol safes. Bay said while the locks are the more affordable option, he recommends spending roughly $80 on a safe instead.
"You can leave your firearm loaded inside," Baye said.
That's something that gun owners cannot do with a gun lock because the cord prevents it. When it comes to defending yourself against someone breaking into your home, the extra steps it takes to load a weapon could mean life or death.
"The concept of finding the key, unlocking the cable lock, finding the magazine, loading the gun, chambering the gun," Baye said," even just hearing my description of that takes some time."
On the other hand, the safes are much faster.
"These pistol safes open with just a finger," Baye said.
And time is of the essence when getting robbed. So, police are asking gun owners not to make it easy for criminals. Baye said responsible gun owners should have something to lock it in versus nothing.
Rewatch the entire public safety meeting here.