Washington ( CNN ) -- Nearly 180 Department of Homeland Security weapons were lost -- some falling into the hands of criminals -- after officers left them in restrooms , vehicles and other public places , according to an inspector general report . The officers , with Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement , `` did not always sufficiently safeguard their firearms and , as a result , lost a significant number of firearms '' between fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2008 , the report said . In all , 243 firearms were lost in both agencies during that period , according to the January report from Inspector General Richard Skinner . Of those , 36 were lost because of circumstances beyond officers ' control -- for instance , ICE lost a firearm during an assault on an officer . Another 28 were lost even though officers had stored them in lockboxes or safes . But 74 percent , or 179 guns , were lost `` because officers did not properly secure them , '' the report said . Following a review of the draft report in December , Homeland Security took steps to implement its recommendations and overhaul its property management policy , according to a response in the report . A department spokeswoman did not immediately return a call from CNN Thursday seeking comment . The report concluded the department did not have specific procedures and policies in place regarding firearms . `` Instead , DHS relied on its components to augment its general property management policies and procedures with specific guidance for safeguarding and controlling firearms , '' it said . `` Although some component policies and procedures for safeguarding firearms were sufficient , personnel did not always follow them . '' The inspector general cited several examples of `` inappropriate practices . '' A customs officer , for instance , left a firearm in an idling vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store . The vehicle was stolen while the officer was inside . `` A local law enforcement officer later recovered the firearm from a suspected gang member and drug smuggler , '' the report said . In addition , an ICE officer left an M-4 rifle and a shotgun unsecured in a closet at his home . Both weapons were stolen in a burglary and later recovered from a felon , according to the report . Another officer left his firearm in the restroom of a fast-food restaurant , and it was gone when he returned . `` Other CBP and ICE officers left firearms in places such as a fast food restaurant parking lot , a bowling alley and a clothing store , '' the report said . `` Although our review focused on CBP and ICE , other components described similar incidents . For example , a TSA officer left a firearm in a lunch box on the front seat of an unlocked vehicle ; the officer realized the firearm was stolen when he returned to the vehicle two days later , '' said the report . `` Officers may have prevented many of these losses had they exercised reasonable care when storing their weapons . '' Of the 179 lost because of laxity , 120 were reported stolen and 59 as lost , the report said . That resulted from the agencies ' lack of guidance on a standard method for classifying and reporting lost firearms , as well as `` a common perception among officers that reporting a stolen firearm was more acceptable than reporting a lost firearm . `` Although CBP and ICE reported 120 firearms as stolen , our analysis showed that these firearms were lost ( stolen ) because officers left the firearms unsecured , '' according to the report . `` All 179 losses may have been prevented had the officers properly secured their firearms . '' The department had about 188,500 weapons in its inventory as of last summer , the report said . The majority are assigned to Customs and Border Protection and ICE officers , but others are carried by agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard , the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center .
Customs , ICE officers ` ` did not always sufficiently safeguard their firearms , '' he said . Of the guns , 179 were lost ` ` because officers did not properly secure them '' Guns were left in unlocked stores , fast food restaurants , bowling lanes . Homeland Security responds by overhauling gun management policy .