LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- LMPD partially credits a rise to teen crime in Louisville to young people's ability to get their hands on guns.

But there are ways legal gun owners can help prevent the weapons from getting into the wrong hands.

"We have recovered a lot of stolen guns from legal gun owners," said LMPD Assistant Chief Andy McClinton earlier this month after police arrested a teen for the murder of another 16-year-old. 

Throughout September, after homicides and carjackings, LMPD have repeatedly stated one of the biggest problems they're seeing is access to guns.

"Gun ownership does not equate to responsible gun ownership, and I cannot tell you how many guns are stolen on a regular basis from individuals who have not secured their weapons, particularly in their vehicles," LMPD Chief Erika Shields said during a press conference after 16-year-old Tyree Smith was killed at his bus stop in a drive-by shooting.

It's not a trend responsible gun owners like to see.

"Firearms are a huge responsibility, and they can hurt people in the wrong hands and they can support criminals," Barry Laws, CEO of Openrange in Crestwood, said. "I don't know anyone that wants to do that." 

Vehicles tend to be a weak spot because of one basic preventative measure some are forgetting.

"Number one lock your car," Laws said. "A great percentage of them are from cars that are just unlocked, so locking your car is really important."

Beyond the obvious reasons, Laws advises gun owners to keep their guns on them if possible.

"For many reasons, children being one. Theft, accessibility," Laws said.

But if someone does have to keep a gun in their car, there are some "safe" options.

"There's different types," Laws said. "There's types that, tactile we call them, so you have [a button combination]. There's electronics, there's RFID chip locks, so you put a little tag on them and they open up."

For those types of safes, Laws recommends hiding them from plain sight and securing them with a wire so someone can't grab the safe and walk away.

"Can they have wire cutters and cut, yeah, sure," Laws said. "I mean, thieves can get anything they want at anytime, that's why they're thieves. But our goal is to get in the way and slow them down." 

In addition to smaller safes that can be hidden in a car, people can also order a custom safe that will fit right into the console.

"You actually screw them into your car, and they're very, you can't get them out," Laws said. "I mean you'd have to destroy the center console."

Regardless of how a gun owner chooses to do it, Laws encourages them to secure their weapons responsibly.

“You’ve got to be very mindful," Laws said. "There’s not a perfect solution for every person, it’s going to be depending on how you live and what you do in your life. But there are ways to do it. Just ask, go to your local law enforcement, come to your local gun shop, ask them for ideas, and we’ll help you out.”  

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