With spike in guns being stolen from cars in Chicago, Illinois lawmaker calls for action
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For months, CBS News Chicago has been tracking car break-ins across Chicago, and the most alarming items that are being stolen — guns.
Just this week, Chicago Police said the South Loop is a current hotspot, with more than a dozen guns recently stolen from cars.
Experts say one of the reasons it is hard to curb the issue of guns being stolen out of cars is because Illinois' requirements for reporting that a gun was stolen are rather lax. Some lawmakers are now trying to fix that.
The CBS News Chicago Investigators first uncovered the issue last month. Thanks to data collected and analyzed by the CBS News Data Team, CBS News Chicago discovered that the majority of guns stolen in Chicago last year were stolen out of cars.
Car break-ins were the source of a whopping 40% of gun thefts last year.
The Chicago Police Department warns that the problem has recently become especially serious in the South Loop. During the course of 15 different car break-ins there since the end of July, unsecured guns were stolen in 14 of them.
CBS News Chicago did some digging and found that just last year, the Near South Side community area—which includes much of the South Loop—saw 20 stolen guns from cars. But the worst spots were Austin on the West Side—with 52 guns stolen from cars last year—and the West Loop, with 36 guns stolen from cars in 2023.
"It's easy for criminals to be able to quickly access a firearm if they break into a vehicle and they're able to take that gun," said Illinois state Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Chicago).
Olickal—who represents Skokie, Lincolnwood, and parts of Chicago's North and Northwest sides—said that is exactly why he is sponsoring a bill that would tighten the requirements for gun holders to report when their gun is lost or stolen. The owners would need to report the thefts within 48 hours, rather than the current 72.
Olickal's bill would also create an electronic portal to track which gun owners have failed to report thefts.
He said this is important because it is all about timing.
"We want to make sure that law enforcement can begin tracking that gun sooner. They can increase the chance of recovery before it's being used in a crime," Olickal said. "So that shorter window just give authorities a head start."
Olickal said part of the issue is also that gun owners don't know they have to report the thefts.
State Rep Olickal is also working in conjunction with lawmakers who are focusing on strengthening gun storage laws in Illinois—which they are calling the "Safe at Home" campaign.
