Oklahoma Senator Proposes Harsher Penalties For People Who Steal Guns Out Of Cars

The Oklahoma City Police Department said more than 600 guns were stolen out of vehicles in 2022 and that statistic isn’t getting any better. 

Related: OKC Police Say 'Bring Your Guns Inside'

An Oklahoma senator is responding to that statistic with a bill. 

Sen. Darrell Weaver told News 9 it’s time to increase the penalties for people who steal guns. His bill is now making its way through the legislature.  

“At the end of the day you have a bipartisan agreement that we probably need to do something about stolen guns out of cars,” Weaver said.  

The senator said this all came about after a conversation with local law enforcement.  

“Since the beginning of the year, we’ve seen nearly 60 guns taken from the inside of vehicles during thefts of those vehicles,” Sgt. Dillon Quirk with the Oklahoma City Police Department said.  

“In my opinion, if you break into a car for a $20 bill sitting on the council, that’s one thing, but if you break into a car and you get the $20 bill and you see a pistol in the back seat, for some reason, you grab that gun. To me, that is a criminal, and you don’t want that person to have that gun,” Weaver said. 

In his bill, he proposed increasing the fine for stealing a gun from $1,000 to $2,500. 

“If that happens to you, call 911, make a police report, have that serial number to that gun on file somewhere, so if it does happen to be taken, make a police report right away,” Quirk said. 

If the bill passes, the maximum prison time would go from two years to five.  

“This just enhances the penalty, it's not anything overboard,” Weaver said. 

This bill only addresses guns stolen out of vehicles, but what about minors that may steal firearms from their parents?  

“If a young person takes it out of a safe in their own home or something, then what is that intent? You just don’t know, but that is up to the prosecution, the judges and the jury, things like that,” he said. 

Weaver isn’t anticipating any pushback on his bill. It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.