Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan On Recent Stolen Guns from Law Enforcement Vehicle

OAKLAND, CA (Press Release) – In 2015, Oakland City Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, together with City Attorney Barbara Parker, wrote a law which was passed by the Oakland City Council, prohibiting leaving guns unsecured in unattended cars. Guns stolen from cars have been used in multiple serious crimes in recent years, including the murders of Antonio Ramos, an artist who was shot and killed while painting a peace mural in Oakland and Katy Steinle in San Francisco. In both cases, the guns had been stolen from cars of law enforcement officers (including Federal ICE agents) who left their guns unsecured in their unattended vehicles.

In Oakland, there’s been an increased pattern of auto burglaries. Oakland Police Department’s end of the year crime report showed that in 2010 there were 3375 reported auto burglaries, in 2012 there were 6654 auto burglaries, and in 2014 there were 7283 auto burglaries. With the rising numbers of car break-ins taking place, and the incredible danger that can be inflicted by stolen guns, including human tragedy and loss of life, Councilmember Kaplan co-authored and passed a law banning this conduct in Oakland in order to shut down this source of guns being used in crimes. Click here for link to the Ordinance.

And now, this past Monday, we have had yet another such incident of out-of-town police officers who left two unsecured guns in their unattended vehicle and they were stolen and have not been recovered.

Kaplan states:

“We must make clear that leaving guns loose in cars where they can easily be stolen threatens the public safety and is completely unacceptable. That is why I wrote, and the Oakland City Council adopted, an Ordinance banning leaving guns unsecured in unattended vehicles. This sort of reckless behavior endangers lives and increases the threat of gun violence in the community. Responsible gun ownership must mean keeping these guns secure from criminals. Almost all gun crimes are committed with guns that are acquired illegally — many of them using stolen guns. Thus, to stop gun violence, we must stop the easy access of criminals to have guns, including by not allowing them to be left loose where they can easily be stolen. I have reached out to the City Administration and Attorney to ensure that our gun laws will be fully enforced, and have asked that action be taken to hold those accountable who endanger our community by leaving guns loose in unattended cars.”