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FAST FACTS:
(Memphis 7/2/2009) The stories of crooks with guns raping, robbing and killing victims across the Mid South are on the news nightly.
The headlines have prompted neighborhood rallies and calls for tougher laws.
But you may be surprised to learn how many of the guns that end up in the hands of bad guys, can be traced back to police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers here in the Mid South.
While some of the stories have made headlines, an On Your Side Investigation has uncovered that dozens of department-issued weapons have been either stolen, or lost by local law enforcement officers in the last two and a half years.
According to incident reports obtained WREG News Channel 3 Investigators, you could fill an entire firing range with the number of department-issued guns lost by Mid South law enforcement.
The cases include: A trooper's assault rifle, stolen from his trunk.
A Memphis City officer who lost two guns in two separate break-ins at his house.
A Shelby County deputy whose glock disappeared after he left it on the bumper of his truck.
In all, at least 40 guns have been taken since January 1, 2007.
It's a figure that concerns Stevie Moore, founder of Memphis's Stop The Killing initiative.
"I think most of the guns that kill are stolen guns," Moore said.
The loss of a loved one to gun violence is a pain Moore knows firsthand.
His son Prentice, was shot and killed in May, 2003.
"He had been shot with an AK-47 assault rifle," recalled Moore from his downtown office. "It took half his head off."
Years later, Moore still doesn't know where the gun came from, or where it ended up.
His son's killer, got 23 years in prison.
- On Your Side Investigation shows police guns lost or stolen at rate of more than one a month in Mid South
- Cases include break-ins and negligence in city, county, suburbs, and surrounding counties
- Activist calls for campaign after learning numbers
(Memphis 7/2/2009) The stories of crooks with guns raping, robbing and killing victims across the Mid South are on the news nightly.
The headlines have prompted neighborhood rallies and calls for tougher laws.
But you may be surprised to learn how many of the guns that end up in the hands of bad guys, can be traced back to police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers here in the Mid South.
While some of the stories have made headlines, an On Your Side Investigation has uncovered that dozens of department-issued weapons have been either stolen, or lost by local law enforcement officers in the last two and a half years.
According to incident reports obtained WREG News Channel 3 Investigators, you could fill an entire firing range with the number of department-issued guns lost by Mid South law enforcement.
The cases include: A trooper's assault rifle, stolen from his trunk.
A Memphis City officer who lost two guns in two separate break-ins at his house.
A Shelby County deputy whose glock disappeared after he left it on the bumper of his truck.
In all, at least 40 guns have been taken since January 1, 2007.
It's a figure that concerns Stevie Moore, founder of Memphis's Stop The Killing initiative.
"I think most of the guns that kill are stolen guns," Moore said.
The loss of a loved one to gun violence is a pain Moore knows firsthand.
His son Prentice, was shot and killed in May, 2003.
"He had been shot with an AK-47 assault rifle," recalled Moore from his downtown office. "It took half his head off."
Years later, Moore still doesn't know where the gun came from, or where it ended up.
His son's killer, got 23 years in prison.
