The rate of gun thefts in Hawaii is among the lowest in the country and a fraction of the national average, according to a report released yesterday by gun safety advocates. Isle gun thefts among
lowest in the country,
new report saysAssociated Press
Nearly 1.7 million guns have been stolen nationwide in the last decade, according to the report by the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Gun Safety Foundation. But just 2,516 of those were in Hawaii, the study showed.
Relative to population, 6.3 guns were stolen per 1,000 households in the state, according to the report. That falls far behind the national average of 16.8 gun thefts per 1,000 households.
Six states -- Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico and Georgia -- had firearm theft rates of at least twice the national average. Alaska led the way with 42.7 thefts per 1,000 homes.
The study ranked Hawaii 44th overall for gun thefts. Only North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts recorded lower theft rates.
The study attributed the differences in theft rates to differences in laws requiring owners to keep their guns locked up.
Gun owner organizations dismissed the report as a new gun control tactic in disguise.
The average 170,000 firearms stolen each year across the nation are, of course, crimes in themselves. But the study entitled "Stolen Firearms: Arming the Enemy" says the 1,695,482 firearms that have been reported stolen to police since 1993 are often used in other crimes as well. Of those, 687,857 have been recovered, leaving more than 1 million at large.
Americans for Gun Safety Foundation