A 53 year old man from Cochrane has been charged with unsafe storage of a firearm.

Cochrane RCMP said that the mans .357 revolver handgun was stolen out of his truck on Sunday, August 14, at his residence on Bow Ridge Road.

After the man reported the handgun as being stolen, police discovered that the gun had been left in the centre console of his unlocked vehicle, along with 25 rounds of ammunition.

Constable Jennifer Brewer of the Cochrane RCMP said this was grounds to charge the man.

"Under the Criminal Code, it specifies ways in which firearms are supposed to be stored, leaving them in a vehicle, not in a case, in the centre console, with ammunition right there is not proper storage. It wasn't stored properly that's what lead to it being stolen, and that's why the male was charged under the unsafe storage of firearms."

The handgun is still missing, which is a concern for police.

"It definitely is a public and police officer safety risk, because we aren't able to locate this gun now, we don't know if and when it will ever resurface. It definitely leads to a concern on our part because we don't know what's going to happen with this gun, if it's going to be used, or stay missing."

With the investigation still ongoing, Cochrane RCMP are asking for any information that would aid in locating the gun and identifying the suspect.

If you have any information, contact the Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.