Stolen gun 12/17/10 - Virginia Beach

So someone smashed the back window of my Saab tonight and stole my shooting bag out of the back seat.

I was at my store in Virginia Beach, and I park on the side of the building usually. Around 7PM I heard a loud BANG, followed by another BANG and heard my car alarm start screeching. It actually sounded like muffled gunshots, but it was hard to tell. It took my brain about 1 to 2 seconds to realize what it was. I jumped out of my chair, grabbed my Glock from under the counter, kicked open the back door and sprinted to the corner of the building.

My employee (who is my roommate) had his .45 and was behind me. There was no one in sight, so I ran up to the car and saw the back window was smashed out. I shut off the alarm, and saw a shell casing on the ground. (At this time, I had forgotten I left the bag in the back seat.) I thought someone had shot out my windows, because I have called the police on the crackheads across the street from my store multiple times, and I thought it was some kind of payback.

Then I looked in the window and saw about 10 casings on the seat, and immediately realized they came out of the outside pockets of my shooting bag. I about sh*t myself at this point, as it dawned on me that I left my bag in the car. There is a strip mall right next to mine with a back alley, so my roommate ran to the entrance of the alley and posted up with his .45 and I sprinted around the other side, glock drawn, to try to box in anyone if they were in there. Unfortunately, we were out of luck, there was no one there.

I called the cops and filed the reports. My shooting bag contained a Ruger Mark II .22 caliber pistol (serial # 212-63221), 550 rounds of .22, 100 rounds of .40, 50 rounds of 9mm, ALL of my cleaning gear, my shooting glasses, 2 .22 mags, a .45 mag, 12 ga. chokes, a mag loader, and a bunch of other stuff.

I believe that I was targeted, and someone has been watching me, because this was a snatch and grab in under 10 seconds and they disappeared and obviously had the exit planned out. There were other cars near mine, and customers from restaurants in the general area, although no one saw anything, naturally.

Right now I can barely contain my anger. I am so pissed off that I was dumb enough to forget my bag in the car, and on that one day, someone F**cking stole it. Not to mention, I have contributed to one more gun on the street. If i was about 6 seconds quicker, I would have caught them. I am going to go have a beer and kick myself in the ass for a while.

Thanks for reading.

Nobody is perfect. Unfortunately, sometimes evil wins.

I had a firearm stolen from me. They broke into my house. I was very angry and upset for weeks.

That Ruger Mk II is a great range pistol. It isn't made any more, but fortunately they are easy to find on Auction Arms or Gunbroker.

Sorry to hear it Hendu!
I know the feeling. It's kind of a helpless feeling. You can't watch everything at once.

Start thinking about who you know that has seen your shooting bag. It wasn't just someone that decided it looked like a car with a gun in a shooting bag. Then, get out the ax handle!

The Ruger is really an awesome range gun. It was also a gift to me from one of my father's best friends who died a few years back, so it had a lot of sentimental value. I don't think it was anyone I knew, but it was definitely someone who was watching me. My store is not in the best part of town, and it probably didn't help that I had the big orange Guns Save Lives stickers right on my window with a range bag right under it.

Hendu024 said:

The Ruger is really an awesome range gun. It was also a gift to me from one of my father's best friends who died a few years back, so it had a lot of sentimental value. I don't think it was anyone I knew, but it was definitely someone who was watching me. My store is not in the best part of town, and it probably didn't help that I had the big orange Guns Save Lives stickers right on my window with a range bag right under it.

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I had two ATV's stolen out of my yard a while back. It took a solid year for me to get a lead on who did it but it turned out to be someone that worked for a neighbors landscaper.
I didn't get much out of it. The ATV's were gone, he didn't have any money and was an Illegal, my insurance didn't cover them since I normally kept them at the farm....

Hendu024 said:

SNIP Not to mention, I have contributed to one more gun on the street.

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I wouldn't worry about this point too much. In fact, not at all.

The only way "another gun in criminal hands" has any rhetorical value is because of people who do not or will not own a gun for self-defense. If everybody had guns, nobody would care about another one in criminal hands.

Separately, "gun on the street" is an anti-gunner phrase. Its designed to be completely vague while also sounding alarming. The vagueness helps keep you from spotting its lie. Anti-gunner scare tactic. I have never, ever seen a gun on a street. They're not lying around in the gutters. They are always in somebody's holster, hand, pocket, or waistband.

And, while guns are out there in criminal hands, the number of bad guys with guns is far outweighed by good guys with guns. So, its not like there are all that many "guns on the street" even in the anti-gunners intended message.

So, I try to avoid using that anti-gunner phrase in order to deny it validity from repeated use. Besides, no sense letting the idiot opposition control the debate by using their language.

Citizen said:

I wouldn't worry about this point too much. In fact, not at all.

The only way "another gun in criminal hands" has any rhetorical value is because of people who do not or will not own a gun for self-defense. If everybody had guns, nobody would care about another one in criminal hands.

Separately, "gun on the street" is an anti-gunner phrase. Its designed to be completely vague while also sounding alarming. The vagueness helps keep you from spotting its lie. Anti-gunner scare tactic. I have never, ever seen a gun on a street. They're not lying around in the gutters. They are always in somebody's holster, hand, pocket, or waistband.

And, while guns are out there in criminal hands, the number of bad guys with guns is far outweighed by good guys with guns. So, its not like there are all that many "guns on the street" even in the anti-gunners intended message.

So, I try to avoid using that anti-gunner phrase in order to deny it validity from repeated use. Besides, no sense letting the idiot opposition control the debate by using their language.

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Yeah I didn't meant it in that way, I guess I just think of it as some punk thief now has my pistol in his hands and is pisses me off.

This is a great reminder to all of us, myself included, to take 5 minutes to ensure that our inventories are up to date.

If this ever happens to you, you won't want to be scrambling to track down where that serial number is.

The faster they get it out there, the less options a criminal has to unload it.

TFred

TFred said:

This is a great reminder to all of us, myself included, to take 5 minutes to ensure that our inventories are up to date.

If this ever happens to you, you won't want to be scrambling to track down where that serial number is.

The faster they get it out there, the less options a criminal has to unload it.

TFred

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Absolutely. I found a little solace in that I had an updated list filed away at home, so I could email the Officer immediately and put it in the NCIC system within 2 hours of the theft.

TFred said:

snip...

the less options a criminal has to unload it.

TFred

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TFred,

I know one way to UNLOAD a stolen firearm is by PULLING THE TRIGGER UNTIL IT NO LONGER GOES "BANG"! And weather it was reported stolen or not would be NO IMPEDIMENT to do that! LOL

But I suspect that wasn't how you intended this to be taken... LOL

JoeSparky said:

SNIP And weather it was reported stolen or not would be NO IMPEDIMENT to do that! LOL

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Oh, I never report something stolen unless its partly cloudy with a low pressure system moving in.

On the other hand, when there is some real whether, I get all indecisive.

I had a gym bag with dirty clothes stolen about 15 years ago. That was when I realized that the criminal element didn't care or were not smart enough to know what a gym bag is or what may be in it. All they got were some old smelly clothes.

I also have learned that a firearm is like a child, never let it out of your touch or off your person. If you must let go of it keep at arms reach and then only for a short time.

I hope we don't hear of any bad news connected to this incident. Hopefully it will be recovered quickly.

Did a search of the area this morning to look for more shell casings that may have fallen out of the bag. Didn't find any casings in any of the exit directions, which means they had a vehicle waiting right next to my car. If someone ran off down the alley or towards the road with the bag, they would have most definitely spilled more casings.

Sorry to hear about the theft. My wife had her side window broken and stuff stolen when we parked at Harpoon Larry's a long while ago. They took a tennis raquet a dress and some CD's. My brother in law had his brief case stolen out of his truck but recovered most of it (papers etc) when they opened it and found nothing of value they dumped it nearby.

One thing that popped into my mind was the pistol-drawn running out the store description. I have no problem with you reaction but there is always discussion of when you can and can not draw your weapon and whether you can use it here.

Since (I assume) breaking into your car wouldn't be a felony and you (in the store) weren't in danger, what could you do if you DID catch them in the act? This isn't Texas and it may be better for you to have lost those posessions than deal with LEO/Court system and "their" interpretation of whether you were justified to be running around with a drawn gun. Heck the perp could sue you for brandishing and placing the fear of God in him.

I had an Acura Legend a long time ago and I was lucky to not own a gun at the time when, with it < a year old, someone keyed it from front to back on both sides down to the metal!!! I was so angry that I would have done something stupid.

Good luck recovering whatever you can.

I bet they come back and check you and/or your vehicle out again.

I have thought about my reactions, and if I would have done anything differently. (besides forgetting the bag in the car obviously.) To be honest with you, my frame of mind at the time was that they were now in possession of a weapon, and they could have stopped and loaded it in the alley way for all I knew. I didn't really think about the ramifications at the time, but I probably would do it the same all over again.

On a side note, the check cashing place in the strip mall right next to mine was robbed at gunpoint this afternoon. They arrested the guy on site today, and unfortunately the gun he used wasn't mine. Oh well... one more dirtbag off the street.

MK said:

I bet they come back and check you and/or your vehicle out again.

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I really hope they do. Honestly.

Hendu024 said:

....
Right now I can barely contain my anger. I am so pissed off that I was dumb enough to forget my bag in the car, and on that one day, someone F**cking stole it. Not to mention, I have contributed to one more gun on the street. If i was about 6 seconds quicker, I would have caught them. I am going to go have a beer and kick myself in the ass for a while.

Thanks for reading.

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Dammit! Stealing is against the law. I think we need a new law making it illegal to break windows while stealing.

Hendu024 said:

Absolutely. I found a little solace in that I had an updated list filed away at home, so I could email the Officer immediately and put it in the NCIC system within 2 hours of the theft.

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Inventories are great and my be of great use. My inventory is on disk and printed out w/ multiple pictures and descriptive spreadsheet. I keep one copy in our firesafe the other in our safe deposit box, that's how important I feel that data is. I pray I'll never have to use it in this way !
I hope nothing bad comes of this for you.

TxSwampRat said:

Inventories are great and my be of great use. My inventory is on disk and printed out w/ multiple pictures and descriptive spreadsheet. I keep one copy in our firesafe the other in our safe deposit box, that's how important I feel that data is. I pray I'll never have to use it in this way !
I hope nothing bad comes of this for you.

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I guess I should do one.
Yesterday, a friend asked how many guns I had. To be honest, I don't have any idea or what any serial numbers are.:banghead:

I'll put it on the TD list.