How were your firearms stolen?

[FourteenMiles]

I was thinking if people share how their firearms were stolen we could avoid these circumstances and better protect our property.

I've never had a firearm stolen from myself. Once though a collegue told me he would inspect peoples firearms pretending to be a prospective buyer and come back later and steal the firearms. I assume he would case the location (firearm owners home) and see how easy of a target it was.

So now I never sell anything out of my home, or person to person for that matter. I prefer to use a service: like consignment, internet auction, ect.

 

[shiftyer1]

a collegue? things that make ya go hmmm

 

[jon_in_wv]

hmmmmmm, so your "colleague" steals firearms and we are supposed to tell you how we had ours stolen? What are you going to do, start a training manual for crooks? I'll pass.

 

[FourteenMiles]

Ha, just realized how shady this seems. He was my collegue in a normal business. He definetley was a few cards short of a full deck, he did not last long.

 

[sonier]

by a boat.........that capsized, couldnt help it, sorry lol

 

[leadcounsel]

I had mine stolen the day after some prospective buyer came to look at them.... hhhmmmm....

Did you report this collleague to the cops? They could set up a sting to get this crook of the streets - afterall many people here meet FTF...

 

[Mr.Davis]

I don't think anyone on this board owns any guns. They're dangerous, after all

 

[Buck Snort]

I'm lucky that I've never had a gun stolen. I do, however, keep a low profile and don't have big clues around my domicile ("Protected by Smith & Wesson") nor on my vehicles. I put my NRA sticker on my gunsafe, out of sight from the street. Additionally, I'm very careful about who I let into my house. If somebody gets pissed off because I won't let'm in that's just too bad.

 

[hmphargh]

A work crew working on a house next door to an acquaintance's broke in by throwing a rock through the window and stealing cash, jewelry, and guns while said acquaintance was at work. Nothing was recovered because the acquaintance didn't keep records of ownership, but some fairly unique items showed up at a pawn shop.

 

[Mags]

Mine get stolen when I trade them in.

 

[Shopping A Round]

Man, the suburbs! What a great safe place! Screw that. I plan on holing up on my porch out in the country with my coon dogs for my remaining years.

 

[FourteenMiles]

"Did you report this collleague to the cops?"

No I never did. He told me this on one side of the country when he was from the other side of the country (probably why he admitted it in the first place), and from what I understood it had happened quite a while previously.

Besides I would not have had the cajones to make an enemy out of someone who knowinging burgals the home of a gun owner.

 

[22-rimfire]

Had one stolen. Tisk Tisk. The gun was the least valuable thing taken. Never lost any sleep over the gun.

Something to be said for guns being "stolen" when you trade with dealers at gun shows.

 

[SaxonPig]

Lost 23 guns in a residential burglary in 1985. Police report is likely public record. Crowbar used to open back door and I foolishly didn't have a safe. Two subsequent burglaries resulted in zero guns lost because by then I had bought a safe.

PS; As of this date 4 have been recovered, one 18 years after the crime.

 

[MedWheeler]

Had one stolen during a vehicle burglary. My vehicle was not specifically targeted; many in the neighborhood were hit that night. My revolver was recovered about two years later and returned to me.

 

[Zoidberg523]

Once though a collegue told me he would inspect peoples firearms pretending to be a prospective buyer and come back later and steal the firearms. I assume he would case the location (firearm owners home) and see how easy of a target it was.

No offense, but why didn't you contact the police to report him right after he told you? Other side of the country or not does not matter - he committed a felony (I think?). I don't believe in karma, per se, but I hope that something catches up with that guy.

 

[FourteenMiles]

Besides the reasons I already mentioned I would need the criminal to produce the evidence and that seems unlikely.

Now can we drop it, am I the only person who has had to work with unsavory people?

 

[WNTFW]

I have heard of a few examples of people getting there guns stolen from their safe. They left the safe open. Not just unlocked. OPEN!

I am shocked at how many people don't lock their safe.

 

[ArtP]

Besides the reasons I already mentioned I would need the criminal to produce the evidence and that seems unlikely.

Now can we drop it, am I the only person who has had to work with unsavory people?

After reading this thread from the beginnning I can see you asked an innocent question and got turned on your head. Some of it maybe because you don't have a long history of posting here. Apparently I don't have any credibility either. No one has turned in every crime we've ever been aware of it and we ALL know it.

Back to your question. I've had only one stolen and it was stolen off the top of my refridgerator by a friend of a friend that was invited into the house. I didn't realize it until the next day. I found, confronted and threatened the guy who I know stold it, but I think he had already dumped it. No police report, couldn't prove anything. I chalked it up to my own ignorance and moved on.

 

[Jim Watson]

I failed to lock a window on a mild evening. Guns left out of the safe went walkabout.
All but one were recovered the next day when the punk ran his stolen car into a telephone pole while fleeing the scene of his next breakin. The one was not in the car or his home, I figure he gave the obsolete revolver to a pal.

 

[wideym]

I had a Colt Trooper MK III stolen along with the locked pistol case it was in when I flew back home to Arkansas from Alaska.

I had a layover in LAX, which was where the pistol was stolen. I had duct taped the case to my duffle bag instead of putting it in my duffle, after showing it was unloaded and signing the form at the check-in desk.

I paid $150 for it back in 89' from another soldier in my unit. My chain of command told me to over-estimate the value of the contents, because the airline would de-value the contents. I put the price of $1,500 on the claim form and promptly forgot about it. Six months later I get a check from the airline for $1,500, which took me six months of bar hopping with my buddies to spend.

 

[Zoidberg523]

After reading this thread from the beginnning I can see you asked an innocent question and got turned on your head. Some of it maybe because you don't have a long history of posting here. Apparently I don't have any credibility either. No one has turned in every crime we've ever been aware of it and we ALL know it.

Your number of posts and your credibility have nothing in common - that is foolish (though some other posters do feel that way). I said "no offense" and meant it - I just wanted to know (as an aside - I am sure that no criminal evidence is needed to accuse someone of anything: only to convict them).

Sorry I couldn't contribute anything to this thread, having (luckily) never had a firearm stolen. I sympathize with those of you who have, and hope that you are able to someday reclaim your property.

 

[ArtP]

I said "no offense" and meant it - I just wanted to know (as an aside - I am sure that no criminal evidence is needed to accuse someone of anything: only to convict them).
.

My comment wasn't directed at you. I read the whole thread once and noticed several people jumped on this guy without really knowing all of the circumstances. I wasn't picking anyone out or remembering names. But as you mentioned, some people do relate credibility to length of time here.

Me personally, I think there is a such thing as tattling and if this guy turned in his coworker for a theft in another state five years ago, he just may have jeapordized his job (for no good!) - who knows. People are just too quick to judge. We all would like "do overs", no need to spank the guy. <not directed at you personally>

 

[KarenTOC]

I wouldn't report a coworker for bragging about crimes commited many miles away and many years ago - mainly because I'd assume that no one is stupid enough to admit to actual criminal behavior on the job (foolish, I know - people really ARE that stupid). I would probably assume he was trying to manufacture a bad-boy reputation to impress... well, whoever would be impressed by that kind of behavior.

I've never had any guns stolen. Except for a few close friends, nobody knows I have guns, and I don't look like what folks around here would consider the typical gun owner. I have no bumper stickers, signs, logo clothing etc that would "out" me.

I'm not happy with my current security measures, but I'm limited in what I can do in and to my condo unit. I'm still investigating options.

 

[Zoidberg523]

Me personally, I think there is a such thing as tattling and if this guy turned in his coworker for a theft in another state five years ago, he just may have jeapordized his job (for no good!) - who knows.

I can see your point (and it is a valid one). However, I must also say that the theft of a firearm (if indeed it happened, and the guy wasn't just trying to "impress" the OP) is a very serious crime - one which warrants investigation (after all, SaxonPig, above, regained a firearm he had lost 18 years previously).

That is not to say that I cannot see it from the OP's perspective - guy you hardly know tells you about some crimes from way back that you can hardly believe, which supposedly happened in another state: easily dismissed. I can also see how the OP may be hesitant in going to authorities if they have reason to believe that they are the only person that said coworker has told this to (because they then obviously know who told on them).

I wasn't there, so I guess that it really isn't possible to make an informed decision.