Georgia Police Department Requests Residents Provide Firearm Serial Numbers

One Georgia county is using a county-based registry available all around the country to try to track stolen firearms before they’re lost or stolen.

Chatham County, on Georgia’s coast, says the database could keep gun owners from becoming the victim of a crime. The county also says 90 guns have been stolen since February 2018 – 50 from cars and 40 from ‘other burglaries.’

CCPD Capt. Daniel Flood told Fox 28 in Savannah, “Unfortunately, we’ve seen a big increase in the number of guns that have been stolen from unlocked cars. From burglaries and that type of thing. About a third of them don’t have serial numbers. [The gun owners don’t record the serial numbers.”

The solution?

Chatham County Police are telling county residents to provide their serial numbers in a database so the police will already have the information if a gun is stolen. If the gun is taken a pawn shop or on the market in another county or state, it will be traceable.

You create a free account, type in the serial number and a description of the gun. You can also upload pictures of the gun along with any receipts.

The serial number website is called ReportIt, which is not managed by law enforcement but is a partnership that “support thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country by helping them solve crimes.” From the website:

“And we help businesses, which are typically required by law to report their transactions to law enforcement, by making reporting easier and more efficient. From secondhand dealers, pawnshops, and gold buyers to pharmacies and scrap metal dealers, we help each of them reduce the hassles of reporting.”

What do you think?