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Seller Robbed During Private Sale of a Handgun

2a4all

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
1,846
Location
Newport News, Virginia, USA
A cautionary tale.

NEWPORT NEWS -- A man selling a handgun was robbed when he met a prospective buyer in Newport News.
Surveillance video shows two men who went to meet the seller in the parking lot of Magruder Elementary School on the night of August 27.
Police say the 23-year-old gun owner from Va. Beach showed the men the 45-caliber handgun. That's when one of the suspects pulled a gun and took the weapon. The suspects ran through the parking lot and got away.

http://www.wvec.com/my-city/nnews/Police-Gun-buy-was-robbery-setup-168619806.html
 

thebigsd

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
3,535
Location
Quarryville, PA
My top three lessons from this story when selling a gun to a stranger.

#1. A SCHOOL parking lot is a horrible place for a gun sale mainly because having it (the gun) there is illegal.

#2. Never conduct a sale at night, conduct it during the day in a very public place. Criminals are for the most part cowards, they look for an easy getaway. A busy parking lot does not afford them that opportunity.

#3. Never go alone. Ever. Take a buddy or two, preferrably armed and open carrying, goes back to the criminals being cowards thing.
 

ocholsteroc

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Messages
1,317
Location
Virginia, Hampton Roads, NC 9 miles away
While it's illegal to have a weapon on school property, Eley noted that the meeting took place on a Sunday when school was closed, so there was no possibility of injury to students or school personnel. Police are not pursuing charges against the seller at this time, he added.

Watching.
 
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Riana

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
943
Location
Fairfax County, VA
My top three lessons from this story when selling a gun to a stranger.

#1. A SCHOOL parking lot is a horrible place for a gun sale mainly because having it (the gun) there is illegal. <--- I don't even want to address this one. We all know this was a seriously bone-head move.

#2. Never conduct a sale at night, conduct it during the day in a very public place. Criminals are for the most part cowards, they look for an easy getaway. A busy parking lot does not afford them that opportunity. <--- This actually applies to ANY private sale. I never go to someone's home to purchase something, be it a gun, or a video card. Busy parking lot or other public place is the best way to handle it.

#3. Never go alone. Ever. Take a buddy or two, preferrably armed and open carrying, goes back to the criminals being cowards thing. <--- While I'm usually alone, I have someone on the phone with me listening in, and I'm always armed (of course).

Of course, I bet this would not have been a legal FTF sale if the robbery hadn't taken place. What do you want to bet those 'gentlemen' had experience in such escapades?
 

twoskinsonemanns

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
2,326
Location
WV
Yeah pretty stupid.

Although going by twos is not always an option for me. I still only do person to person sales in a busy parking lot, during the day, and I'm always OCing.
 

crazydude6030

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
512
Location
Fairfax, va
Heh

Well i think it was smart for them to meet on school grounds. After all the seller wanted to feel safe in a gun free zone /sarcasm
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
By the time it was over he certainly was.

<rimshot>

stay safe.

I hope they catch the thieves and give them extra time for not cleaning up the gene pool when the had the chance. Some people have no sense of responsibility.:uhoh:

Where's Bill? Why didn't they arrest the fellow for being within a thousand feet of a school :lol: I thought they got you for just driving by. (more sarcasm)

I can't believe he reported it. It's like a drug dealer reporting someone stole his dope or a hooker reporting she was raped when the client didn't pay.

But then maybe they all had CHP's which would at least be excusable
t3b6a50_smileyROFL.gif
 
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grylnsmn

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
620
Location
Pacific Northwest
Was it Magruder Elementary School (which is in York County with a Williamsburg address), or was it at Magruder Primary School (which is in Newport News)? If the former, then that was my last elementary school, back in the day.

Based on the byline, I would guess that it's actually Magruder Primary School.
 

BillB

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2011
Messages
200
Location
NOVA
Where's Bill? Why didn't they arrest the fellow for being within a thousand feet of a school :lol: I thought they got you for just driving by. (more sarcasm)

These boys are just lucky! This may well be an Eric Holder sting operation - you know like Fast and Furious - only this time, it's Slow and Stupid. I also suspect that Eric and his boys are busy with the big meeting going on in NC and that the local Possum Cops won't cooperate because they are mad about public service unions being on the outs even with the Dems.
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
These boys are just lucky! This may well be an Eric Holder sting operation - you know like Fast and Furious - only this time, it's Slow and Stupid. I also suspect that Eric and his boys are busy with the big meeting going on in NC and that the local Possum Cops won't cooperate because they are mad about public service unions being on the outs even with the Dems.

Why of course...that makes perfect sense:rolleyes:

1984.jpg
 
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mwaterous

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
197
Location
New Mexico
This guy is going to feel like an even bigger moron when they catch the alleged perps and discover that the "weapon" they used was an airsoft with some sharpie residue around the barrel. This is one time where feeling stupid isn't quite punishment enough.
 

Motofixxer

Regular Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
965
Location
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Yep always a good idea to be armed in an arms sale. Additionally make it in a Walmart parking lot, gas station or in front of an ATM(think cameras). Or set a camera in your vehicle to record the encounter. You have to think proactively.
 

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
Yep always a good idea to be armed in an arms sale. Additionally make it in a Walmart parking lot, gas station or in front of an ATM(think cameras). Or set a camera in your vehicle to record the encounter. You have to think proactively.
Ha, yes, Walmart has tons of cameras. It might also be a good idea to tell the other folks that is why you are meeting there. Such morons may not even realize it on their own. (Concealed (or unknown) security cameras are no more of a deterrent than concealed handguns!)

TFred
 
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