"As of recently, gun thefts have increased nationwide because of the high price that guns are going for on the black market. This increase in gun thefts have encouraged federal firearm agents to believe that stolen guns are one of the biggest threats in the nation. Mississippi has become one of the most targeted states for these thefts. In 2012, Mississippi ranked 9th nationwide for the most reported stolen firearms. These gun thefts have been affecting both gun owners and gun dealers. Here is a display of the assortment of guns stolen that were involved in gun trafficking cases[/caption] Mississippi had reported 3,439 guns stolen during 2012 with 592 of them being stolen from gun dealers. Most of the guns that were seized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had their serial numbers erased off and were most likely involved in gun trafficking. Many of these gun owners fear how their stolen guns will be used. Joel Lee of the ATF mentioned that when he said ""It's a heavy burden for dealers and gun owners to know someone has stolen a firearm from them. It's a worrying thing, wondering if a firearm you intended to sell, or bought for a collection piece or target shooting, will be used as a weapon of mass destruction."" Many people inside the communities that have experienced gun thefts are happy to see the cooperation amongst each other. Mike Creel, a manager of Cook's Gun Shop was happy with the support that he and the store received after dealing with two break ins. He says that ""We put it on Facebook, with the guns' serial numbers, and in less than 24 hours, almost 11,000 people had seen that post."" With the huge increase in gun thefts nationwide it is vital that we as Americans begin to keep our guns in safes and make sure that they are always protected and secure. If guns were kept in safes it would make it much more difficult for these criminals to steal the guns and it would lower the amount of gun thefts that take place. If you want to hear more about the stolen guns in Mississippi than you can check it out here. "
