St. Lawrence County led the region in gun thefts in 2010, with 63 guns of assorted varieties reported stolen last year, according to state police.

Slightly less than half of them, 31, were reportedly recovered so far, police said.

Troopers say that most of the guns stolen in St. Lawrence County, 36 of them, were taken in three residential burglaries.

"It should be noted that through a combined effort the New York State Police and the Saint Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department were able to close each of these burglaries by arrest and to date have recovered 31 of the stolen guns in their county," the State Police Troop B Gun Investigation Unit report said.

Throughout Troop B, 102 guns were reported stolen, with 40 recovered. State Police Troop B covers Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence and northern Hamilton Counties. The data includes gun thefts reported to all law enforcement agencies within these counties.

The majority of these guns were stolen from private residences during the summer and fall months, with a small quantity stolen from motor vehicles during hunting season, according to the Gun Investigation Unit.

The numbers stolen in 2010 decreased slightly from 2009, when 117 guns were reported stolen. Records indicate that Franklin and Clinton Counties experienced a significant decrease in the total amount of guns stolen in 2010, while Saint Lawrence County saw an increase. This can be directly attributed to three individual residential burglaries in St. Lawrence County, in which a total of 36 guns were reported stolen, investigators said.

Although the number of stolen guns decreased slightly from last year, police say they remain concerned about the inaccurate descriptions and lack of serial numbers for most long guns reported stolen.

"The theft of firearms is a significant concern for law enforcement and for the general public. Gun owners are encouraged to protect their gun collections and to maintain an accurate and reliable inventory of their firearms. This includes recording the make, model, caliber and serial number of every gun in their possession and immediately providing this information to police should any gun be lost or stolen. For this reason, a gun inventory record should be stored in a secure location separate from the firearms," the report said.

The New York State Police Troop “B” Gun Investigation Unit works closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and recommends using a form distributed by ATF called a “Personal Firearms Record” to inventory a gun collection. This form can be found on-line at www.atf.gov or at http://149.101.29.141/publications/download/p/atf-p-3312-8.pdf . You can also contact the Gun Investigation Unit at (518) 897-2093 to request a free copy or to report any suspicious or criminal gun activity.

Below is a breakdown of the 2010 gun thefts by county:

Clinton County – 15 stolen guns with 6 recovered

Essex County – 7 stolen guns with 2 recovered

Franklin County – 14 stolen guns with 1 recovered

St. Lawrence County – 63 stolen guns with 31 recovered

Hamilton County – 3 stolen guns with 0 recovered