BATON ROUGE — A man who served time for theft and selling drugs says the "art" of stealing guns from unsuspecting firearms owners offered "quick money" and was "like taking candy from a baby."

After a yearlong probe examining the problem of stolen weapons, the WBRZ Investigative Unit found that 1,642 firearms had been stolen across nine area municipalities in 2024 and 2025.

WBRZ's Stephen Stock talked to one man who dealt in stolen guns in the past. He explained what thieves look for when they are trying to steal a gun.

The man asked to be called Tommy because of his criminal past. He also asked that WBRZ hide his real identity. He's been in and out of prison — and shared how easy it is to steal a gun in Louisiana.

"It's quick money," Tommy said. "It's in somebody else's name. It doesn't matter what you do with it as long as you don't leave fingerprints."

He told WBRZ that thieves are looking for easy access and easy money. Many guns are left out in the open, especially in unlocked cars.

"It's easy cause there's only so certain places you're going to stash your gun in the car," Tommy said. "It's either going to be in the glove box or it's going to be in the console or it's going to be under your seat."

Research from Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) bears that out. Scientists found that guns kept in cars are three times more likely to be stolen than if they're kept elsewhere.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit reported Thursday on the human cost of gun thefts.

The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lists Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana as having some of the highest rates of gun thefts in the country.

"A lot of times, the public puts that firearm unsecured in their vehicle," said Joshua Jackson, ATF special agent in charge.

Jackson serves as special agent in charge at ATF's New Orleans field office.

"We do have bad actors, and they try to identify people that they can break into their car that they believe likely has a firearm," Jackson said. “Do your best to secure that firearm so that firearm does not end up in the hands of the bad actors."

“Also have a good accounting of your firearms (so that) if you are victimized, if firearms are stolen from you, make sure you report that to local law enforcement,” Jackson said.

The latest ATF data shows that more than one million guns were stolen nationwide between 2017 and 2021, mostly from private citizens.

"Stolen guns are a huge threat," said Hillar Moore III, the East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney. Moore says a third of all his prosecutions involve a gun. In each case, his staff reviews the origin of every gun to determine if it is stolen.

"We take that weapon as if it's a homicide weapon and we fingerprint it, we DNA swab it, then we take it and we actually shoot it and the shell casing is ejected," Moore said. "We put that shell casing through testing."

There is no requirement, in Louisiana or on the national level, that private gun owners tell police when a gun has been stolen. Because of that, experts say stolen guns are underreported. The ATF estimates that only between 75 percent and 80 percent of gun thefts are ever reported to law enforcement.

"Make sure that it's locked up," said Jim McClain, President and CEO of Jim's Firearms located on Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge.

McClain, who owns another store in Pensacola, Florida, and hopes to open a third in Raleigh, North Carolina, soon, said that as a federal firearms licensed dealer, he must report any theft from his stores, unlike private firearms owners.

While he opposes any law requiring the same reporting obligation from private owners, McClain does say private owners should voluntarily offer that information to help track and solve the stolen guns problem. McClain agrees with Jackson at the ATF that having more data on thefts would make crimes easier to solve.

"The biggest problem with stolen guns is basically a lackadaisical attitude with the consumer," McClain said.

Moore agrees. Moore says better reporting would create more accurate data that could provide better solutions.

Moore suggests that all legal gun owners fire their guns and keep the spent shell casing in another location away from their guns. That way, if that gun is discovered to have been stolen, ATF and local police can more quickly find that weapon and even make an arrest or return it.

Tommy has made easy money proving guns can wind up in the wrong hands.

"A 9-millimeter Glock you can get from $150 to $225. Easy money," Tommy told WBRZ’s Investigative Unit. "The bigger the gun, the bigger the payday."