Stolen Guns (Get a Safe!)

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pax

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Just got word that a friend of mine had all his rifles stolen when he left his house for an hour or so during the middle of the day. I'm sick to my stomach on his behalf; he had some really nice stuff and had been collecting for decades.

But ...

[rant]

Why oh why oh why don't people who have enough money to buy a dozen or more $700 dollar guns ever have the money to buy a single $700 safe? And use it?

Failing that ... if you're really that broke (and believe me I've been there!) ... why can't someone with even a modicum of ingenuity devise or build a decently good hiding place for the unlocked guns?

At least my buddy wasn't one of those cheerful idiots who think that since he doesn't have kids in the house, there's no problem with leaving a loaded gun or six just lying around. At least he was smarter than that.

But what kind of fool thinks a gun jammed into a closet, in a house with a key under the mat and windows made out of breakable glass anyway, would be secure enough from thieves and low-lifes?

[/rant]

Meanwhile, he's dealing with cops and is kicking himself because he didn't even have the serial numbers recorded for most of his guns. One of those "I'll get around to it someday" kinda things.

:banghead:

pax
 
Thats a good idea to write down the serial # of all your guns and maybe take pictures of them also. Yes it hurts me also that he had all of his guns stolen my heart goes out to him.
 
why can't someone with even a modicum of ingenuity devise or build a decently good hiding place for the unlocked guns?
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Cause the thieves know all the hiding spots... and they know of ones you have not even thought of.
 
Jim Diver ~

Almost any hiding spot would be more secure than simply jamming the gun into the back of the master bedroom closet.

Who knows, maybe the thief would have run out of time before he'd taken a hammer to all the walls to see which one was fake.

pax
 
My strategy is to spread out all of my guns and have pictures of all of them. Ex. 50 bmg's under my matress 22's in my closet 30-06 under my couch. Ar-15 behind my dresser shotgun IN the dresser. Now that you know all this please don't brake into my house ;) .
 
hmmm its also a good possibility it was somebody your friend knew. To break in when he was only gone an hour or so. Also it seems the person knew he was a gun owner (unless he was robbed of computers, tv's etc.)

i just hope they find the person who did it!
 
Leaving aside the gun's security aspects - it is IMO a good notion to have photographs and S/N's of all, and burn this info to a CD (or three) and have that info placed in a secure place other than near the guns. I also keep a TXT file of S/N info and approx market values.

If the worst should happen - this info could be invaluable.
 
Sort of like blaming the victim of a rape because she wore a short skirt, isn't it?

Why not keep all of dvd players, TVs, stereos, computers, cars, nice furniture, family heirlooms, silverware, and that dish of spare change on the dresser in a huge vault everytime you leave the house for more than 10 minutes?


If a thief wants something badly enough, they will get it. Locks are for keeping honest people out.

At least my buddy wasn't one of those cheerful idiots who think that since he doesn't have kids in the house, there's no problem with leaving a loaded gun or six just lying around. At least he was smarter than that.
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Because only an idiot would actually have a loaded gun on hand if he/she were to actually need one at a moments notice- as in when a thief breaks into the home with the mistaken impression that the homeowner is gone.


Meanwhile, he's dealing with cops and is kicking himself because he didn't even have the serial numbers recorded for most of his guns. One of those "I'll get around to it someday" kinda things.
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That's the part where I'll agree. It only takes a few minutes to write down serial numbers and to put them in a realtively secure place. Insuring one's firearm's collection is the next step.
 
That website claims that federal laws require that guns be locked up. To what law might this be a reference?
-twency
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I have no idea. Most likely it's just a bunch of BS fluff to sell product. This isn't the only company selling something like this. I just did an online search to come up with an example of the wall mounted locking gun mount. For someone on a budget it's a really cheap way to secure your stuff. It sure as HECK beats filling out the police reports and dealing with insurance companies.
 
Why oh why oh why don't people who have enough money to buy a dozen or more $700 dollar guns ever have the money to buy a single $700 safe? And use it?
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Why oh why won't people stop stealing things? The only reason I can see as to why anyone should have to have a safe, is to keep their kids away. Even taht could be argued. I shouldn't have to lock up stuff in my own house.
 
yeah the house is your castle, you should expect it not to be violated. the problem is that people will steal things if they know you have guns, that's why it's probably better to know what friends to have rather than to fool proof the house and lock up guns.

you didn't mention if the friend likes to show off his gun collection or not. it sure sounds like the perp who did it knows your friend.
 
Not blaming my buddy. The stolen guns are the fault of the jerk who stole them, no one else's.

But wouldn't it be nice if he had his hunting rifle when elk season rolls around this fall?

Wouldn't it be great if he didn't have to wonder if he's going to get a phone call from a cop next week, telling him his granddad's handgun has just been used in a murder across town?

Wouldn't it be a helluva lot cheaper and easier for everyone involved, if he'd taken just a modicum of care with his expensive and dangerous toys, so that the miscreant who stole them would have had just a leeeetle bit more work to get the damned things out of the house?

Properly securing your firearms when they are not in use is the equivalent of living in Condition Yellow, and simply paying attention to the world around you.

Sure, you should be able to wander around in Condition White all the time and be perfectly safe. If you're attacked it's the fault of the criminal and not the fault of whatever level of alertness you were at.

Similarly, if your house gets broken into and all your guns stolen, it's the fault of the jerk who broke in. Not your fault, even if your front door was unlocked and you had a million dollars in guns sitting right in front of the window for all to see.

But wouldn't it be better to make the crook's job too hard for him to bother with you in the first place?

I sure think so.

pax

A committment to avoidance, deescalation and deterrence is your number one option for personal security. -- Andy Stanford
 
Because only an idiot would actually have a loaded gun on hand if he/she were to actually need one at a moments notice- as in when a thief breaks into the home with the mistaken impression that the homeowner is gone.
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No, because only an idiot would leave a loaded gun lying around the house when he wasn't even there to use it if he needed to.

pax

Don't go stupid places. Don't hang out with stupid people. Don't do stupid things. -- John Farnam
 
I know so many firearms owners who own many expensive peices, but fail to realize that the cost of ONE, yes ONE of any given gun they own would buy them a secure gun safe. They'll fork over $1000+ in a N.Y. minute for a tricked out 1911, but hem-haw around how they can't see spending that much money on a gun safe! It only takes one good thief to ruin a good thing that can't be replaced in a life time.

I feel for your friend Pax.
 
part of what i do is insurance photography, i take hi res digital photos of valuable's, collections, guns, and claims info then put on disc for the client to store off site.
pat
 
ok, I'm going to disagree just a little ...

Unless you have a super-duper safe (a lot more than $1000) that is bolted down to the foundation, all you are doing is putting up a sign that says "all my guns are right here" (not to mention when Hellary is king and the gestapo come calling - "your key, sir...")

My one experience with burglary is that the thieves take what they can easily find and miss what they can't.

Multiple eggs, multiple baskets. Some obvious, some not so obvious.

And at least one rifle and one handgun is in my vehicle when I'm away from home.
 
What a better reason to own "throw away guns". I have several vaults (fire resistant and bolted down) and one cheap gun cabinet, locked, in plain view with a couple cheap .22's and a few cheap shotguns. If someone enters my house, I'm hoping they'll make off with those, and leave the rest alone.

Ryan
 
Unless you have a super-duper safe (a lot more than $1000) that is bolted down to the foundation, all you are doing is putting up a sign that says "all my guns are right here"
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Stuff and nonsense.

Sure, there are lock-pickers, safecrackers, crooks with carbide-tipped radial saws and arc welders.

But they are the minority. Crooks, by and large, are lazy and practical. There's enough stuff just laying around like Pax's friend's stuff that they don't need to go to all of that trouble.

If a $250 residential security container deters the first 90% of would-be thieves, it's well worth the money.
 
Pax: Anything we should be looking for here in Washington since we buy and sell here we might be able to notice something and let the police know. Just a thought. With the number of members here on the West side we might see something in the paper, little nickel, estate sale, pawn shop, etc...

Just a thought and I hope he gets them back.
 
I got a ryder on my homeowners policy for $10,000 coverage of guns.It was like $70.00 per year. I don't have anywhere near that but that was the bottom level policy.

Kevin
 
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