Hole in the wall

[Fish Miner]

A few weeks ago the gun shop down the street was the target of some thieves attemting to drive through the building to get the guns. This was about 4 or 5 weeks ago in Orlando Florida.

This has happened at a few places in Florida and lots of guns have been stolen, but all the places were then locked up tight and secured ect. Well the hole in this store is still there! There is a guard (armed I hope) who stays there all night watching the hole in the wall. This guard sits in his car (we've seen him looking like he was sleeping) all night.

I guess my question/comment is- WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!?! Would the BATF or FBI not allow him to fix the hole per the investigation? Is this place just asking to get robbed again? Does anybody know who I should call to ask or demand they fix the hole so there is not a murder and robbery in my area?

 

[JesseL]

The gun shop closest to me has a row of water filled barriers in front of their door, I guess to prevent just this sort of attack.

 

[foghornl]

Been a while, but I remember a gun shop that got hit in the 'smash-n-grab' routine you describe....

So, they dug out the parking lot in front of the doors and re-concreted it, effectively making the curb about 10" higher than before. Also, they put in 2 pieces of VERY LARGE plastic pipe (8" diameter, IIRC) and concrete filled those. There was just enough room between the pipes to walk through.

Next miscreant that tried the 'smash-n-grab' was found still in his pik-em-up truck, out cold from bouncing against the front glass of said pik-em-up

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Go in and talk to the owner. Maybe he's working with a contractor on how best to repair and rebuild is so this can't happen again. Or maybe he's broke.

 

[strat81]

I guess my question/comment is- WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!?! Would the BATF or FBI not allow him to fix the hole per the investigation? Is this place just asking to get robbed again? Does anybody know who I should call to ask or demand they fix the hole so there is not a murder and robbery in my area?

Try calling local contractors in the area and tell them you need a new, exterior, commercial-grade wall installed, pronto. See what timeframe they give you to begin work.

Most reputable contractors are busy and can't just run out and fix stuff 2 hours after you call - doesn't matter if it's a clogged toilet or a hole in the wall. Even if they were just sitting around, appropriate building materials aren't always readily available.

I doubt the owner enjoys having his store open to the elements (natural and criminal). Aren't we entering hurricane season? It sure would suck if his store got hit with a tropical storm while it was open like that.

 

[Dorryn]

We obviously need more laws to make it (more) illegal to run cars into buildings! After all, what the heck!

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Does anybody know who I should call to ask or demand they fix the hole so there is not a murder and robbery in my area?

Wait, are you saying the mere exposure of the firearms to the night air will result in a murder and robbery in your area?

If you're talking about this gun shop, it is going to take a bit more than some spackle to fix that wall.

 

[MKEITH]

I agree. If we could ban cars from driving through walls,just think of how much safer we would all be.

 

[elrod]

May be an insurance thing, you know how those guys can be!
At any rate, I'd sit up all night wringing my hands and gnashing my teeth if I wuz you..........

 

[kentucky bucky]

I say ban ALL cars!!!

 

[kungfuhippie]

I say ban ALL cars!!!

No we just need to ban assault cars and register all the others. No one would ever break the law in a registered car!

 

[FuzzyBunny]

A little duct tape and some spray paint and its good to go

 

[MinnMooney]

I'm thinking that any store that has guns or ATM machines need to have a moat or or those anti-vehicle devices (they look like a giant kids' jacks game piece) all the way around their stores. That type of Ram-n-Grab is getting way too common. No investment - no brain power, just steal a truck and ram it.
Unfortunately, even going the cheap route with outward-angled concrete or steel posts/pipes every 4-5 feet around the entire perimeter would get quite expensive.

 

[iiibdsiil]

They are probably waiting on a permit

 

[Blackbeard]

Car crime is a serious problem plaguing our nation. We must stop easy access to cars. Anyone who uses a car to commit a crime should do hard time and never again be allowed to have a car.

 

[Kevin108]

He's probably waiting on the insurance money. Insurance may be paying for the guard as well.

 

[Logan5]

We had one of those kind of robberies at a local gunshop I used to favor maybe 12 or 15 years ago. Bad guys rammed through the storefront, snatched everything they could, and employed a stolen Ruger AC556 in a running gunfight with state and local authorities down a state two lane highway before crashing and burning. IIRC, both bad guys died in the crash and the police never fired a shot. The gunshop went out of business.
In my limited experience, that kind of crime is a lot more of a threat to the viability of a business than it is a threat to public safety, for all the obvious reasons.

 

[Fish Miner]

My point was not to ban cars from driving in to walls-or that expossure to the elements will increase murders in the area- but mearly that there is even less security now as there is a giant hole in the side of the building. Not even a tarp or some ply wood. The crooks drove into a side room which connects to the actual store through a door- not even a locked door, they just had to open it and walk through.

So why would the store not even add a thin layer of protection to their weakened defense? This store leaves their weapons on the walls and in the cases, they do not have a giant safe like most gun stores.

I just think that one half azz guard in a car on a busy city street is not enough protection from a few motivated BG's who want to score some guns. It almost seems easier now to rob them as there is no wall to drive through

 

[MinnMooney]

I definately agree with 'fishminer' about the lack of security. My questions is, "Did the owner move all of his inventory to some other, more secure, location after the break-in? If so, that would explain the minimal security.

 

[strat81]

If you're that concerned, call the ATF. That's their job.

 

[AntiqueCollector]

Some thick plywood, at least, would help to a degree. Not even covering the hole is crazy...

 

[joab]

Go in and talk to the owner. Maybe he's working with a contractor on how best to repair and rebuild is so this can't happen again. Or maybe he's broke

Or maybe he has a safe

Here's a novel idea, why not stop in a talk to the guys, maybe buy something to help the business out
They have been in the community as long as I can remember
It would be nice if the community supported them a little instead of reporting them

I think I'll stop by on my way home tonight

 

[Justin]

This one's run its course.