Stolen Handgun

[nipprdog]

You had an accident, looks like nothing bad happened and you got the gun back.

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

There is nothing worse than a thief.

When I see an NRA decal on a vehicle, I have to wonder if there is a firearm inside.

I had a friend that would purposely put Coexist stickers on his vehicles. He sure as hell didn't believe in that, but thought it would be good OPSEC for when he was transporting his guns.

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

Locks keep the honest people honest...nothing more.

A lot of people say this, but I kind of disagree. True, a determined criminal with enough time will get past any lock, but most criminals are lazy. A lock at the very least buys time, but a simple dead bolt will send most amateurs searching for greener pastures.

 

[STFU]

A lot of people say this, but I kind of disagree. True, a determined criminal with enough time will get past any lock, but most criminals are lazy. A lock at the very least buys time, but a simple dead bolt will send most amateurs searching for greener pastures.

Understood. A lock is a deterrent. They help. But like you said, a determined criminal...
It is not a question of: "IF you have a break in..." But more a question of: "WHEN you have a break-in, how bad will it be?"
(This applies to cyber as well.)

 

[Ark]

Cars aren't holsters or safes. Sorry that happened.

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

"You had an accident, looks like nothing bad happened and you got the gun back."

I read the post incorrectly, edited and corrected it. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[bwframe]

Everyone should be cognisant of not bringing attention to the thought that there could be firearms in the vehicle.

OCing, carrying long guns or obvious cases and ammo cans back and forth along with obvious stickers should be cautioned.

Needless to say, door locks are the important first defense. It's a habit that is cumbersome, but must be done, every time. Your key fob clicker works just fine on already locked doors and is a great habit to be using every single exit.

Some folks even lock their vehicle doors in the garage, which is the best place for your armed vehicle. An extra measure of slowing down a theif that has breached the building.

While it's bad that vehicle guns get stolen, the other side of the story is not having the appropriate weapon to handle what might be needed when out and about. If you need your truck gun, you REALLY need your truck gun.

 

[jsharmon7]

Not blaming OP for anything, but just to share info:

Locked vehicles are rarely broken into unless something of obvious value is in plain view. Most of these types of thefts are people pulling door handles to see what opens. Locking your doors will prevent the majority of these situations.

 

[Max Volume]

I know how you feel. In 1984 I came home to a burglary and was wondering if they were still in the house. That is when I first got a carry permit. Two long guns were missing, a Richland SxS 12 ga and a Remington 30.06 pump that I bought in Alaska. Always received a call from the local police but now e-mails once a year asking if they ever showed up.

 

[Expat]

I for one refuse to engage in victim blaming.

 

[comm2679]

Sorry you got it stolen. This is on the thief, not you. We should be able to leave something in our vehicle and not have it stolen.

I disagree. One cannot blissfully expect that criminals won’t be criminals. People who lawfully arm themselves do so in order to protect themselves and society as a whole. With that comes a duty to take necessary precautions to ensure their weapon does not fall into the wrong hands. The OP here clearly realizes his error, so this is not meant to further his embarrassment.

 

[wcd]

Everyone should be cognisant of not bringing attention to the thought that there could be firearms in the vehicle.

OCing, carrying long guns or obvious cases and ammo cans back and forth along with obvious stickers should be cautioned.

Needless to say, door locks are the important first defense. It's a habit that is cumbersome, but must be done, every time. Your key fob clicker works just fine on already locked doors and is a great habit to be using every single exit.

Some folks even lock their vehicle doors in the garage, which is the best place for your armed vehicle. An extra measure of slowing down a theif that has breached the building.

While it's bad that vehicle guns get stolen, the other side of the story is not having the appropriate weapon to handle what might be needed when out and about. If you need your truck gun, you REALLY need your truck gun.

Sometimes it can not be avoided, and in that case yeah they get carried in and out at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day.


On a side note on A lot of newer vehicles you have to go in and manually turn off the Auto Unlock feature. Just because a vehicle is put in park does not mean you want the doors unlocked!

 

[billybob44]

Sorry for your loss..
Probably long gone by now.
As for how to prepare, there is no correct answer to this=ALL depends on the thief's mind thoughts.
Will the thief break stuff to get in, or just pull handles?. will the thief use the stolen stuff, or just sell for drug $$??
There really is no correct answers to the owner of the property..

 

[bwframe]

Sometimes it can not be avoided, and in that case yeah they get carried in and out at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day...

Right, just saying that a bit of allowing one's self to be inconvenienced can go a long way for security.

Clean out your garage, so your vehicle can go in. That's where you move your guns and cases around, out of the view of neighbors and street traffic. And keep the garage door closed, obviously.

Same said for no garage (although that in itself is an important security consideration you might want to fix. ) If you have no choice or can't fix it, moving your open guns and cases around in the dark could be a consideration. I often wait until dark to carry long guns back and forth between my house and pole barn.

I got a shock from a neighbor's nosey girlfriend in recent years. She was sitting on their porch rubbernecking, when I walked my muzzleloader to the barn from the house. She shouted out "going hunting?" Not a big deal, right? I know my neighbors and no reason to not be friendly, right? Well, she's an ex-girlfriend now, with no ties to this neighborhood. Probably not a problem? She most likely didn't say anything to her crackhead friends or family about the guy across the street moving long guns around? She most likely never rubbernecked my regular schedule coming and going, right? Or knows what my vehicles look like, to see me busy in town, away from the "house full of guns?" Maybe even a gun left in the car right then?

 

[Cameramonkey]

A lot of people say this, but I kind of disagree. True, a determined criminal with enough time will get past any lock, but most criminals are lazy. A lock at the very least buys time, but a simple dead bolt will send most amateurs searching for greener pastures.

But a true determined criminal is not an honest person. So I think you misunderstand the saying.

The saying means if I'm a good person overall, but happen upon your car and see the door is unlocked, I might be tempted to open the door and poke around when I otherwise wouldnt. And that is where the saying ends. Full stop.

But if I see your car is locked and I'm willing to try to bypass the locks, I'm no longer an honest person. That is where you got it wrong.

 

[Nazgul]

Well honest people wouldn't take your property even if it was unattended.

I wouldn't steal from anyone.

What price is your integrity? We all get silly about extremely large amounts of money or expensive items, but still I couldn't bring myself to steal.

Don

 

[comm2679]

Sorry for your loss..
Probably long gone by now.
As for how to prepare, there is no correct answer to this=ALL depends on the thief's mind thoughts.
Will the thief break stuff to get in, or just pull handles?. will the thief use the stolen stuff, or just sell for drug $$??
There really is no correct answers to the owner of the property..

It’s been said before in this thread, but it’s true that a determined enough thief can access anything they want to with the right tools and enough time. However, we do know that the majority of car “break in” incidents are not break ins at all. They go up and down the block pulling on door handles until they find one that’s unlocked. They generally don’t want to spend enough time or make enough noise to actually punch locks or break glass to get in. On the off chance they are willing to break in, they’re generally not going to spend time trying to defeat a secured pistol safe. The longer they’re in there the more likely they are to get caught.

Not leaving the pistol in the car would have prevented this. If leaving it in the car was the only option, locking the doors and securing the pistol in a tied down safe still would have deterred 99% of thieves. These are correct answers.

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

But a true determined criminal is not an honest person. So I think you misunderstand the saying.

The saying means if I'm a good person overall, but happen upon your car and see the door is unlocked, I might be tempted to open the door and poke around when I otherwise wouldnt. And that is where the saying ends. Full stop.

But if I see your car is locked and I'm willing to try to bypass the locks, I'm no longer an honest person. That is where you got it wrong.

Eh, I understand the saying, but I was simply being a technical smart-alec challenging an absolute statement. There are plenty of dis-honest and less than scrupulous scoundrels who will be deterred by a lock simply because they don't want to go through the hassle of dealing with smashing a window, or even risking getting caught, especially up here in SB. At the same time there a those that would.

From the perspective of someone who has watched and read a lot of Fernando Aguire (FerFAL), Matt Bracken, Active Self Defense, and various other people who break down quote "Street Survival Skills and Scenarios", having simple locks on your doors to walking on the sidewalk against traffic can make a huge difference.

 

[OurDee]

There is nothing worse than a thief.

When I see an NRA decal on a vehicle, I have to wonder if there is a firearm inside.

I have to ask if they think much.

 

[Max Volume]

I don't put any gun, special interest or anything on my vehicle for just such a reason.