Stolen gun a sick feeling and a message for those who keep guns in their car

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Eric F

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I have been on this and other forums for some time now and have seen many threads on keeping a gun in the car. I have seen many threads on stolen guns. Never did I think it would happen to me.

For the short story, I left my pistol in my truck under the front seat for a short period of time. I also had several other things stolen too. Most likely the thief saw my prescription drug bottle sticking out of my gym bag, used a slim-jim to open the car got the bag and probably did a blind sweep under the seat and got my gun too. I know they didn't stay long as a box of ammo in the door was left as well as some loose cash in the ash tray.

Bottom line I was gone for 15 minutes or so and this was done. Now my self modified pistol is gone with 10 rounds. I am almost certain that the gun has been shot empty and has now been traded several times for crack.

I am sick I feel down and I feel I am now responsible for yet one more gun on the street that shouldn't be there.

I thought it would be safe I thought my truck would be good enough just being locked. I was wrong. And you are too if you leave your gun in your car.

Please don't be me!

What I am doing is replacing my gun as soon as the insurance pays up. I am getting a car alarm, I am installing a lock box (through bolted to the floor) under my seat for when I do need to leave my gun in my truck.
 
That sucks. I'm sorry that happened to you.

Curious though, did you have to leave it in the truck because you had to stop somewhere that didn't allow firearms?
 
Ouch.

I have had things stolen from me as well. Someone broke into a friend's car where I and a bunch of friends locked up our ipods and personal belongings, and it all got jacked. I also had someone rip open a few lockers in Gold's Gym, grab my keys, and steal an old gamecube as well. I was on edge for awhile because the chain also included my house key; new locks are expensive.

I no longer leave anything that looks like it may be or contain something valuable inside my car - not even in the trunk. I also no longer use the remote keypads for car keys since that just makes it easier for them to find your car should they get a hold of it.

At least you learned and are taking better care so it does not happen again.
 
did you have to leave it in the truck because you had to stop somewhere that didn't allow firearms?
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Yes and no, The store I went to does not allow guns, however in Va this is non binding the most they can do is ask you leave. I left it in the truck because I did not have an over shirt to conceal the gun.

How ever I frequently left my gun in my truck any way.........not smart on my part.
 
That stinks.:mad: I know how you feel, absolutely sick. I have a very low opinion of thieves.

I had guns stolen out of my truck many years ago. I never leave anything of value in a vehicle anymore. The worst part for me was not the financial loss, but the wondering what some dirtbag would be using them for. The police did find one of them and I got it back.

I'm all for gun control. Personal gun control that is. Even though I don't have a valuable collection, I do have a safe, bolted down, and I don't leave anything in my car. If we gun owners as a whole would secure our guns better, it might be a little harder for criminals to acquire them. Again, I mean personal control, not a law.
 
Yes and no, The store I went to does not allow guns, however in Va this is non binding the most they can do is ask you leave. I left it in the truck because I did not have an over shirt to conceal the gun.
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I see. I sometimes lock mine in the glove box if I _have_ to go somewhere that doesn't allow it. Those times are few and far between though.

If you share the name/location of the business, I'd like to add them as non-friendly on the FOF site in my sig. Or, you can do it if you don't want to broadcast the location.
 
If, for some reason I HAVE to leave my gun in the car, I take the bullets with me. Also, as my 642 has an internal lock, I use it. IF the gun should get stolen, it will be useless to whoever steals it.
 
Taking the mag(s) is a good idea. I may do that in the future, although because I OC 99% of the time, so I only usually go where guns are allowed.
 
I recently had someone steal some stuff out of my tool box in the bed of my truck. Like an IDIOT, I had not locked it after the last time I got into it. :banghead: They got my spotting scope, tripod and a fly fishing vest with probably $300 worth of flies, leaders, etc........ They also tried to punch the lock on my door, but either coudn't get in or something scared them off. I was lucky there as I had 500 rds of Black Hills .223 68gr match ammo sitting on the floor of the back seat.

They got into the tool box and tried to get into the truck on the side of my driveway between my house and my neighbor where it is fairly dark. I now leave the outside lights on every night and I back my truck in the driveway now so the street light on the corner shines on the door where the lock is.

Don't beat yourself up. We learn by our mistakes.
 
How ever I frequently left my gun in my truck any way.........not smart on my part.
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I disagree. You left your property in a locked vehicle. You took the reasonable precaution of locking your vehicle and keeping the firearm out of sight. You should feel no more guilty if a thief robbed you FTF or took something from your house.
 
Hmm... maybe a simple ring bolted/screwed to the floor of the car... and a padlock through the trigger guard could be a solution?
 
Very sorry to hear that. Same thing can happen to anyone anywhere because there will always be situations that require us to leave the gun in the vehicle (my excuse is I usually just forget to bring it along). The sad takeaway here is that whenever possible the car gun should be one we're prepared to lose. Assume you filed a police report so there's always the chance you'll see your pistol again.
 
I disagree. You left your property in a locked vehicle. You took the reasonable precaution of locking your vehicle and keeping the firearm out of sight. You should feel no more guilty if a thief robbed you FTF or took something from your house.
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Amen! Why would anyone feel any different about this situation than we would about guns or anything else being stolen from a business or a home?
 
Consider this, don't leave anything of value in sight. If the car appears empty then there really isn't any reason to take a chance on breaking into it.
 
Rock Island Armory 1911 38 super, parkerized, fiber optic front sight, Bomar low profile rear, stainless hammer, stainless mainspring housing with magwell, wide thumb safety, stainless and black hammer, skeletonized trigger. At last check 2 pound on the trigger pull. Oh yeah 1 metal form mag.

Yes it was loose under the seat

As far as the store I know the use of the name is frowned upon on this site but we will say it was a popular retail store and the name is hung on the building right in the front up on the WAL. That should be sufficient.
 
Eric ---- sorry to hear of your theft -- as others have said , don't be too hard on yourself --- you took the time to hide your gun and locked your car , it can/have happened to MANY other people then you.

BTW --- I like this cheap idea ;
Hmm... maybe a simple ring bolted/screwed to the floor of the car... and a padlock through the trigger guard could be a solution?
Click to expand...
 
The reason I asked if it was loose vs. in a pouch, is because I put my pistol in a zip pouch. Not a handgun pouch though, I put mine in a zip-up pouch that I configured to accept the pistol, as it looks nothing like the ones made for handguns. In fact I did this earlier today when I had to go to the post office.
 
A cable locked car safe is less than $30...cheap. Unless the thief brought bolt or cable cutters, they won't be able to grab it in 3 minutes.

I'm new to handguns and just assumed everybody used them.

I do think we have an extra responsibility to over-protect our arms when we've got them "locked" away. I haven't met a pro 2A person that thinks that thieves should be allowed to have firearms and anytime a criminal uses a firearm in a crime is a bad thing. We should be more diligent in protecting our firearms from theft than say our iPod. A thief can't shoot anyone with an iPod.
 
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