Displaying your arsenal over THR.

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PinnedAndRecessed

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I've seen numerous threads where people proudly display their gun collections over the internet.

But someone posted on another forum a real life case of a guy who posted his collection. Later, he had occasion to sell one of his guns. Someone committed to buy. It was to be a face-to-face. The seller agreed to process the transaction at the seller's house.

The buyer never showed. The seller was miffed and figured the buyer backed out.

But the "buyer" waited for the seller to leave, then cleaned out the entire collection. He even left the advertisement and map (that the seller had provided) as a taunt.

Just a word to the wise.

Personally, I don't own any guns and probably never will.

And I've moved, too.
 
I've wondered if people even considered these risks when posting guns for sale. I once placed an ad in the classifieds to sell some rifles and pistols. I really got some strange calls on the phone, and while I'm not listed in the phone book, I got nervous and changed my mind, and told callers that the firearms had been sold. Never again, way too nerve wracking worrying about it.
 
The answer is simple. Don't do business out of your home with people that you don't know.
 
An 800lb gun safe is also a solution to this problem if you have a lot of guns.

I don't post pictures of my firearms, I might post a picture of a part of a firearm or a single firearm with the serial number redacted...but I don't ever do these pictoral exposé's of my firearms all laid out on the floor or against a sofa. I dunno, the world can be a small place. The most amazing things happen and you never know.

People gain a false sense of security on the net. Especially in forums where they begin to feel at home with like-minded people. For every poster, there's probably a couple of lurkers. Lurkers who might live near you or can figure out where you live by piecing tidbits of personal information together shared over different threads. You never know. You never know when someone in "real life" makes the connection between you and everything you post on a forum. This is probably not a problem for most people, but others are very cavalier with their personal info on internet forums. Telling everyone where they shoot, showing pictures of themselves shooting, showing pictures of their collection, sharing their real name in addition to all of this info....just asking for trouble. One day, some thug is going to recognize the property in the photo of some user who wants to show off..and they will become a target.

You must treat the internet as if you're talking over an intercom system to a whole stadium full of people. A lot of people you see are listening, and a lot more you don't are lurking.


As far as that story goes...it seems fake to me. Why would someone leave evidence like that behind? Seems very stupid. It is too in your face. Like a made up story to teach a lesson. If it is real - then WOW.
 
Well, pinned he did a lot of things wrong other than just posting a picture of his guns. It was a chain of events that led to the theft, not one thing. He could have broken that chain at any point. Me, I wouldn't give my address to a stranger to sell a gun to him out of my house.

The "I posted a gun picture" horror stories are rare and it is usually something else in conjunction with that. I read a supposed horror story about where a seller on Gunbroker stole someone's gun picture to use in advertising. So? It isn't very moral on the part of the seller, but it can't hurt the guy who posted the picture in any way.

If you think it does more harm then good...don't. If you think the potential downside can be controlled by say, not inviting strangers over...then do so. The theft could have happened even without the picture. A thieving low-life can assume a seller on a gun board has more than just the one blaster.

Personally, I don't own any guns and probably never will.
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You have over 1,100 posts on THR...I don't think either Agent Schmuckatelli or John Doe thief is gonna think you just have an idle interest in second amendment issues.
 
The reason I heard for blacking out the SN is so someone can't claim the gun was stolen from them using the accurate serial #. Off hand I can't think of any other reason this would be bad...oh, Feds might be surfing and making lists? I'm not real good at the tinfoil stuff.
 
Don't worry, strambo, someone will be along in a moment to declare how the ATF if making a list of all the posters here so they can come get the all guns on January 21, 2009.

The warning about burglars is much more realistic than any paranoid declaratoins about "gun-grabbers".

You have over 1,100 posts on THR...I don't ... think you just have an idle interest in second amendment issues.
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I don't know about that. Every few months someone with 900 posts finally announces they have purchased their first gun. :)
 
Doesn't matter how many posts I have. I never told anyone where I live, what my name is, what I've got (via proof with photos) of my firearms in my house..pictures of my backyard or pictures of me.


Obviously, 99% of peole who post here probably own at least 1 firearm.


Also, this wasn't in the context of the government or whatever else. This was in the context of some thug who might recognize who you are online. The government, if it were tyrannical - could lift the IP's of every single member of THR and send some alphabet agency JBT's to...well you get the idea.


The serial number thing...that's to prevent some idiot from reporting it stolen. If my firearm is ever seized by police (like after use in a defensive situation) I will have more problems because some prankster or jealous jerk reported it stolen. You can anonymously report a firearm stolen in some places (I once saw an online form for reporting stolen guns). I will have the local police looking at me as a criminal (even more so than they might already be). It will draw more heat to me, and it will be extra BS. Might be the difference between being let go that day - or being detained for a night till they "sort it all out". Remember, there's no firearm registration, so anyone can claim it was theirs. I do save receipts though... so that should solve that problem.
 
Thank you for that information about the theft. I guess a little paranoia is not a bad thing.

Now, I have posted pictures of some of my firearms (minus the serial #) and I don't really worry about it (too much). Everything is legal and can pass scrutiny. However, having said that, I would like to point out that everything we type and all pictures we post are out there for the world to see.

Just Google your screen name.

Makes you want to run out and buy some tinfoil. :eek:
 
The lesson in that story is not to arrange to sell firearms to complete strangers from out of your personal residence. I kinda think that is a no-brainer. The guy who broke in may well have not expected to see a whole collection, but he sure as hell knew that he had one gun handy, and that alone is worth a break-in.
 
While all of the precautions stated are very good,I have never heard first hand of a person's collection being stolen secondary to posting a for sale ad or posting pictures on the internet.

It always seems to be "I heard from another source" about it.

A little common sense goes a long ways.

bob
 
I call shenanigans on this post. That is just another white whale story that never happened. Everyone hears about this guy but noone knows him personally.

I will not live in fear of what might happen to me if I refuse to hide under a barrel.
 
When I was first getting into the internet thing maybe 8 years ago, I talked to the lady at the library. I knew virtually nothing about the internet. She was in some "chat" deal with some other scholarly types. She mentioned something about someone's identity. His reply was "it's the internet and there's no way you could track me down"

She pieced together some information and figured out his real name, the college he worked at, and information on his family. Said it took her a few hours but really wasn't that hard to do. He was in Europe.

Now, I'm pretty sure that someone isn't going to all that trouble to try to steal a Mossberg 500, but a Perazzi...different program.

As a side note, at the same time there was a geeky computer type there. I asked about what to do and not do. He said "anything you type on your computer, I can get from your computer in my dorm room". I never pay bills or do online banking. There is no such thing as a secure connection or site.
 
She pieced together some information and figured out his real name, the college he worked at, and information on his family. Said it took her a few hours but really wasn't that hard to do. He was in Europe.
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And while that's true, does that seem more likely or less likely than a local criminal hanging out at the range or the gun store parking lot and following you home?
 
And this one time, in band camp-

Almost anything can happen. Some things are more likely than others. Take reasonable precautions, and be happy.

Remember if you live like you've already lost your freedoms- you have.

John
 
I heard April 01, 2009

I heard April 01, 2009 was gun-recall day. Wow, I hate to be misinformed! I'm nearly out of tinfoil too. :D Agreed. No firearms' numbers, but pics themselves aren't bad. Afterall, if you post ANYTHING here people know you have guns. Get a good vault, a good alrm system, and a bad dog(s).

Doc2005
 
Man, you guys are a bunch of skeptics.

The thread in question was entitled, "Show us your stored guns."

The URL is here:

http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=580473

The post was as follows:

Seriously, I have dealt personally with a bunch of people on this and other sites. Some I know well, most I hardly know at all. But all know me. They have my name from various transactions. A simple Google of that name shows address, phone number, and even a map. Putting a pic of a my guns on a public web site can attract too much attention.

This exact situation led to a burglary of a friend of mine in Georgia. He had put a rifle up for sale, and the photo had many other guns in it besides the one for sale. The a'holes even left a copy of the photo and map they got from the web and a word of thanks.
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I don't feel its a bad thing to post pics of my firearms over the Internet or to even let people know that I own several of them. I think a person would be stupid to let it be known where they live or any other public information get out about them over these chat forums. When I sell things I only deal with PO boxes and never a home address. If I have to meet someone then it is in a public place out of my city.
 
Well, if it was on Glocktalk, it must be true.:)

Googling my name doesn't bring up any results that are me, and googling people I know doesn't bring up any results that are them....much less addresses, maps, safe combinations, etc.
 
I googled "Biker" and was eventually rewarded with a link to a lesbian biker page.:)

Actually, years ago, Easyrider mag finally stopped allowing lisence plates on their motorcycle layouts because bike thieves were tracking down the owner's addresses by using the LPNs.
It can happen.

Biker
 
If I have to meet someone then it is in a public place out of my city.
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If I'm ever forced to sell a firearm (which, by the way, I don't have), I think I will require the buyer to meet me at a gun shop. Or a gun show.

Did I mention that I've moved, BTW?

Out of the country. Yeah, that's it. Out of the country.
 
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