Comment from local law enforcement re: thieves, cars, and guns

I keep a full size hand gun in the console of any vehicle I'm driving. And quite often a smaller, more compact gun on my person. I make it a habit to bring the glove box gun into the house each night. But once in October 2013 forgot to do so. Someone took my G19 that night and I didn't notice until late the next day. The gun was recovered one month later in a neighboring county in the possession of some meth dealers. I'm quite sure they didn't steal it, but bought it from another person. That case still hasn't gone to trial, and I still don't have my gun back. After 5 1/2 years. But at least I know where it is. No cars were damaged, but several other neighbors reported their unlocked cars had been gone through. Only my gun was stolen.

Almost exactly 3 years later someone came through the neighborhood and was much bolder. Windows were broken on locked cars and the soft top on my Wrangler was ripped open. They got a cheap $15 knife out of my truck, nothing else. Another neighbor lost a handgun. When the officer came to take the report early on a Sunday morning I could tell he was in a rush to get the paperwork completed. He KNEW exactly who had stolen the stuff and was anxious to get to him. While talking to me other reports came over his radio of similar break ins nearby.

By lunch time he called and asked me to come to the station to identify a knife found on a suspect. It was mine. The thief was a 22 year old former student of mine who had just gotten out of prison a week earlier. (I'm a retired teacher). The cops knew he was out and knew he'd go back to his old habits. I'd bet money he was the one who stole the gun 3 years earlier and sold it. Or traded it for drugs. He was arrested just after my gun was stolen for the same thing, stealing to support a drug habit. As soon as he got out he came back to the same neighborhood.

Another thing to keep in mind if you use your key fob or other remote to lock/unlock vehicle doors. Thieves can buy a radio receiver that will steal your remotes signal. They can then program another remote and use it to unlock your vehicle doors. Thieves are unlikely to try a smash and grab in a crowded parking lot. But someone opening a door with a remote, and walking up to get something out would attract no attention at all. I strongly advise pressing the lock button on the drivers door to lock all doors when leaving the vehicle. When you come back it is OK to use the remote to unlock the doors.

ATLDave said:

Yeah, that's a really common pattern overall. Law abiding citizen leaves gun in car (intentionally or unintentionally), car is broken into, gun is taken and turned into cash by thief, gun is bought by other criminals who would have a hard time passing the ole' 4473 check.

For all the gun-control-proponent's mouth-foaming over "gun show loopholes" and other nonsense, this is one of the big ways in which criminals get guns that they are not legally allowed to possess. And since both sides of the transaction are committed criminals (car thieves and drug dealers/felon-in-possession types), the notion that "mandatory" background checks would stop even one of these transactions is a joke.
Of course, some of the more aggressive gun control activists recognize this, and that's why they want to criminalize being victimized by a gun thief.

In any event, it's probably best not to store guns in cars (locked or not), particularly overnight. Sometimes there's no avoiding it, but having a "truck gun" or "car gun" that just lives in the truck or car is perhaps not a great idea.

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They are trying to pass gun storage reqirements to close the Criminal Gets the Gun loophole. Sadly many gun owners do not exercise good judgement like leaving guns in vehicles for extended periods of time.

I never leave guns or any other valuables in my personal vehicle, and leave the doors unlocked.
I have written more reports on vehicle burglary's that took place in the victims driveway. Most often the cost of the damage to the vehicle was more then what was stolen from the vehicle.

ATLDave said:

In any event, it's probably best not to store guns in cars (locked or not), particularly overnight. Sometimes there's no avoiding it, but having a "truck gun" or "car gun" that just lives in the truck or car is perhaps not a great idea.

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I would say that the odds of having a gun stolen from a vehicle are much greater than the odds of having to use that gun for self defense. There's no question that a gun should not be left in a vehicle unattended. The issue is really whether a gun should be routinely carried in a vehicle at all.

AlexanderA said:

The issue is really whether a gun should be routinely carried in a vehicle at all.

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How do you mean exactly? Like never carrying a gun in a vehicle or never having a gun in a vehicle? Or do you mean having a gun in the vehicle that is not your EDC?

Just clarifying because it seems your implying one should not be allowed to have a gun in their car.

Instead of the "gun show loophole" they should be worrying about the "felony theft loophole."

John_R said:

Instead of the "gun show loophole" they should be worrying about the "felony theft loophole."

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For practical reasons they can't keep gun thieaves locked up very long. That is why in this case cooperation from car owners is needed.

While I have a good gun safe in my car, I don't give it more than a few minutes for a determined thief. I try my best to be aware of the surroundings where I park when I do use it, especially during the time I'm transferring it from myself to the safe.

Camouflage helps, in my case driving a beater car with lots of junk along for the ride. Nothing attractive in and of itself, just normal clutter cars in my neck of the woods collect. Important note, don't let change build up in your console, that's why my car got broken into twice in the last decade.

earlthegoat2 said:

Like never carrying a gun in a vehicle or never having a gun in a vehicle?

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Exactly what our resident 'sheep in wolves' clothing' means.

IDK, but suspect that concealed carry laws are similar nation wide stipulating certain areas in which CCW is illegal, thus necessitating that weapons be left in vehicle, thus making parking lots for such prohibited locations a fertile grounds for gun thieves.

San Antonio officials warn gun owners not to leave weapons in vehicles
By Guillermo Contreras
Updated 7:05 am CDT, Wednesday, April 24, 2019From The Web
Local authorities on Tuesday urged the public not to leave their guns in their cars so thieves won’t be tempted to swipe them.

“We’re talking about this today because we don’t want to put a gun in anyone’s hands who may commit a crime because it’s available in a car,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a news conference.

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Between 2016 and 2018 in San Antonio, there were 3,881 guns stolen from cars either by thieves breaking into them, or stealing the cars that had guns inside, McManus said.

The highest concentration of the gun thefts were at locations along the Interstate 10 corridor between Loop 410 and 1604 on the Northwest Side, he said.

Gun thefts dropped from 1,536 in 2017 to 920 in 2018, but officials said one gun stolen is one too many.

“This is a big problem here in our community, guns being taken from unattended vehicles,” said Mike Weddel, assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in San Antonio.

Weddel also said people might think twice before putting stickers of sporting or hunting events on their cars, which could signal to thieves that there’s a gun in the vehicle.

RELATED: How Texas compares to the other 49 states in gun laws

“It’s something just to think about for the public,” Weddel said. “If you’re putting certain stickers on your car, it may advertise that within that unattended vehicle, there is a possibility of firearms. Just be cognizant of the consequences of that firearm being left in your vehicle.”

In addition to getting out the message, 600 gun locks were donated to the SAPD San Antonio Fear-Free Environment Unit by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Project Child Safe for distribution to the community. The public can get one free by visiting SAPD substations with a SAFFE Unit, McManus said.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/l...owners-not-to-13789727.php#item-85307-tbla-20

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Regards,
hps

The medium-sized midwestern city I'm currently working out of had over 100 firearms stolen from vehicles last year. No reason to give a tweaker a chance to arm himself for the little-to-no strategic value of a gun that lives in the car, IMO. My gun stays on me, barring the occasional unplanned visit to a place where it would be illegal to bring my EDC.

I understand that a criminal will choose “easy” over hard. And I lived in a major metro area decades ago while in school, so I picked up the habit of always - always - locking doors, both vehicles and homes (apartments, etc). I’m still working on getting my wife to be diligent with that habit after several decades of nagging. If I have to leave my carry gun in my vehicle (ie: go into the post office or court house), it’s in a metal lock box; the box is not expensive & could be broken with tools in a minute or so, but it’ll stop a smash & grab.

I have coworkers who have had their vehicles robbed over night, & recently watched video doorbell footage of a stranger checking my door handle then checking for a spare key above the door frame & under the mat. And I live in a rural neighborhood with very low crime. Please folks, lock your doors even if it means a few seconds of inconvenience to you & your family.

Heck, you see reports where some emboldened thieves even steal weapons from marked police cars on occasion in public. Vehicle thefts are where a lot of cars can get hit in a short period of time and the value stolen adds up. Penalties are generally not that much and smashing a window for entry does not take much skill so it is perfect for drug addled thieves looking for money for a quick fix. Eventually, some of those thieves will go on to "graduate" to committing worse crimes.

ATLDave said:

I wouldn't go that far. I certainly sometimes go other places than just the range when I go shooting. I routinely go out to eat with people after shooting USPSA matches, for instance. I'm not going to stop doing that just because I have a gun or guns locked in my trunk. I do agree that storing guns in a car seems a little unwise to me.

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I will make a short stop somewhere on the way to the range, but not on the way home, I figure BGs might watch cars leaving.

cc-hangfire said:

I understand that a criminal will choose “easy” over hard. And I lived in a major metro area decades ago while in school, so I picked up the habit of always - always - locking doors, both vehicles and homes (apartments, etc). I’m still working on getting my wife to be diligent with that habit after several decades of nagging. If I have to leave my carry gun in my vehicle (ie: go into the post office or court house), it’s in a metal lock box; the box is not expensive & could be broken with tools in a minute or so, but it’ll stop a smash & grab.

I have coworkers who have had their vehicles robbed over night, & recently watched video doorbell footage of a stranger checking my door handle then checking for a spare key above the door frame & under the mat. And I live in a rural neighborhood with very low crime. Please folks, lock your doors even if it means a few seconds of inconvenience to you & your family.

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If you really need to leave a spare key, use a lockbox.

ATLDave said:

Understood, but I'm not going to stop hanging out with my friends after matches. If I do that, the terrorists/car burglars win.

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Understood.

I was not telling other folks what to do, just saying what I do. Actually last week was the first time I even made a stop at all.

I have two safes in the vehicle. One built in the center console and one under the seat cabled to the frame. I store my gun in the console one if we eat at a bar/restaurant type establishment where guns could be disallowed based on percentage of alcohol sales. If I have more than one gun when traveling they are stored in that safe for the duration. The one under the seat is for over flow.

GunnyUSMC said:

I never leave guns or any other valuables in my personal vehicle, and leave the doors unlocked.
I have written more reports on vehicle burglary's that took place in the victims driveway. Most often the cost of the damage to the vehicle was more then what was stolen from the vehicle.

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Funny story....no guns involved.

I loaned my 04 Hyundai Tiburon GT to a buddy who lived in a little apartment complex on Alii drive, pretty crappy area. It was still all nice and shiney at the time.
Anyway someone, hit a couple the cars in the parking lot (probably looking for drugs or cash its one of those places), including mine. the others got damaged door locks and one busted window.
On mine (unlocked) guy very carefully took the all internal facia and trim off my console and CD player and removed it while leaving all the screw and Doodad's sitting in the cup holder.
My buddy called me all freaked out, while filing the police report. The guy honestly saved me a 100 dollar installation fee since I already had another unit waiting to go in, I was just too lazy to take it all apart.
Cop took my statement of value etc over the phone, and laughed a little when I told him if they caught the guy he could keep the CD player. He toldmedude couldn't get a scooter out the back of the property so brought it back and left it at the edge of the parking lot before bailing.

Anyway, yeah nothing I can afford to replace ever gets left in my cars overnight, or even if I'm at the store. Certainly not firearms, which would be illegal here anyway.
The only vehicle I do any "security" on is my Toyota, and that mostly an accident. It won't start unless the fuel pump is jumped, so if I'm leaving it anywhere I pull the jumper..... Mostly use that when I'm hunting.