BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – Bradenton police are urging the public to not leave guns in their cars after seeing an uptick in the number of firearms stolen from cars across the city.
In 2023, 19 guns were reported stolen from cars. In 2024, that number nearly doubled to 37 guns reported stolen. So far this year, six guns have been reported stolen, with the vast majority of those vehicles left unlocked.
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“You don’t know if that gun that you didn’t lock up will be used to take someone’s life or to commit another serious crime. So, this is unfortunately the worst-case scenario that we have been trying to avoid,” said Public Information Officer Meredith Censullo.
Just this weekend, one of the 19 guns reported stolen in the city back in 2023 turned out to be evidence in a deadly shooting…