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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is making another plea to gun owners to properly store their weapons.
"Every time there is a loss of life, or someone is the victim of gun violence, we cannot be silent," Gill said. "I refuse to become numb or let this sad norm become common place. This week I am making a plea to our community. Lawful gun owners please lock up your guns at home, and do not leave guns unattended in your car.
"Lawful gun owners, I am calling on you to help us stop gun violence or at least slow it."
Gill's comments coincide with the start of National Gun Violence Survivors Week, which runs Feb. 1-7. An estimated 58% of adults in America are survivors of gun violence, according to Gill, and firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S.
In October, Gill, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera and Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown made a joint plea to lawful gun owners to properly store their weapons so they're not stolen out of their cars or during a home burglary.
"There are too many car burglaries and home burglaries that we are taking reports on and individuals are reporting their guns have been stolen. And we know we're going to see those guns out on the street," Rivera said.
Gill said some of those stolen guns are showing up in cases his office has to review, including officer-involved shootings in which the suspect has fired at police.
"As I have been in officer-involved critical incident reviews and homicide screenings, one of the common themes is stolen guns. And more frequently, guns stolen from cars and guns that are left unsecured and unattended," he said.
In an officer-involved shooting case that Gill's office reviewed last year, two guns were seized from the arrested person accused of shooting at police. One of those guns was stolen from a residence and the other was stolen from a vehicle just three days before the confrontation with officers, Gill said.
"(Properly storing firearms) won't solve the problem overnight, and there is much more work to be done. But if one less person, one less family knows what it's like to experience gun violence, that is a start," Gill said.
