Gun Stealing?

O

Octopus

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I go this via email from a friend. Anyone know about this?

Public service announcement:

While I was in a Denver gun store today, my car was tagged on the wheel in the parking lot. The gangs do this on wheels or bumpers at gun stores, shooting ranges, gun shows etc. Later when you are parked at a restaurant, hotel, or other location that’s less well guarded or under video surveillance, other gang members spot the marker and break into the car for a quick gun grab. This is so RAMPANT in San Antonio where we were for a National shoot this summer, the police chief of that county came out to brief the 400 participants of our competition. Too bad three teams had already been victimized the first day. This is the first I’ve heard of this in Denver . Please pass this info along to your 2nd amendment list.

This next comment from a Gunsite instructor:
I don’t know how widespread this is becoming, but the info regarding the NSCA Nationals in San Antonio is correct, as all of us who compete in sporting clays know. Competitors there were having their vehicles marked with a small adhesive dot on the rear license plate or rear bumper, then followed for miles and having their vehicles quickly and efficiently broken in to when parked for lunch etc.
Some crews were working the parking lot at the Nationals itself. 27 high end shotguns were taken there recently. They know when 1400 shooters with high $$ competition guns are in town.
I shot with a young man who was trying out a new gun at the Nationals. He and his father lost all their guns and equipment while making a quick stop for lunch at a BBQ place in Corpus Christi the month before.
 
Was it a forward? Where did your friend get it? Can it be traced back to its origin? Can anyone with personal experience attest to this on this board?

I strongly hope this is debunked as untrue.

If it turns out to be true, I will acknowledge a true need for a CHL and get one.
 
I too received the public service announcement on an email. It did not include the comments from the Gunsite Instructor. Was the Gunsite comments in that email or was it found somewhere else?
Natiional Gun Club sends out programs and several motels there advertise special shooter rates. People that stay in these places have been seeing a lot of thefts of their property for at least the last 10 to 15 years. It looks like the theives have upgraded their business plan.
 
i live in colorado. denver metro area. we have an active gun rights group called RMGO..rocky mountain gun owners. seems to be a very active political group. i have heard nothing about this.
...

and i work every week with a gun range, one day a week.
and i work gun shows multiple weekends a year.
mike in co
 
This is not true. NSCA posted a denial. None of the "facts" mentioned are facts. Another internet myth.
 
Good myth.
Like the NRA sticker thing. Put it on your car/truck. And your house is broken into. Not sure if this is a myth. But, I have not got any stickers from the NRA.
 
I live in the San Antonio area and I have not heard anything about it.
There is not police chief of the county. ONLY the city.
And I would be really curios as to what National level shoot there is here except for the clays.
 
I dont know if its true or not, but i know that im allways sure that my equiptment comes in the hotel with me, and my truck is allway parked in plain view of a window seat when io go to a resteraunt. Plus i love my state with virtualy no fire arms laws, including conceled carry, tends to keep the low lifes on thier toes when they have no idea who could be armed.
 
True or untrue I would check my license plates from time to time.
Its possable thieves mark houses.
 
Was it a forward? Where did your friend get it? Can it be traced back to its origin? Can anyone with personal experience attest to this on this board?

I strongly hope this is debunked as untrue.

If it turns out to be true, I will acknowledge a true need for a CHL and get one.

I got the message from a dealor and can verify it as true and spreading where there are good gang populations
 
As I posted earlier the rumor is not true. Below is a response from NSCA and a like to their facebook page.

January 15, 2012


To All Shooters

Rumors have been circulating recently about gun thefts from vehicles around the country and at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio in particular. Because we take very seriously the security of our members and patrons, as well as their property, the National Shooting Complex has addressed these rumors and offers some suggestions regarding better securing your firearms, whether you're shooting at our club or elsewhere.

The link below takes you to our comments. We ask you to please read our post and click the Facebook "Share" button next to it to post on your Facebook wall.
Thank you!


 
[h=2]NSC Response To Rumors About Gun Thefts[/h]
Rumors have been circulating recently about gun thefts from vehicles around the country and at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio in particular. Because we take very seriously the security of our members and patrons, as well as their property, we would like to address these rumors and offer some suggestions regarding better securing your firearms, whether you’re shooting at our club or elsewhere.
As has always been the case, gun thefts from vehicles and homes are a problem around the country, and San Antonio is no different – neither better nor worse. Some rumors suggest that San Antonio is experiencing an “epidemic” of gun thefts from vehicles at gun clubs or from vehicles of traveling shooters at restaurants or other businesses. We have no reason to believe this problem is greater than in the past or than in other cities. As the largest gun club in the San Antonio area, and one of the largest in the country, we believe we at the National Shooting Complex are in a position to be aware of such an alarming trend, and it is simply not the case.
Many reports indicate that gangs are targeting the NSC parking lot, marking tires or placing stickers on license plates so they can later be identified by thieves. At a shoot last June, we and a commissioned officer investigated reports of marked vehicles and found no validity. There was no pattern or consistency among the marks that were identified to us, and we found that all the questionable marks reported to us were left there by manufacturers, tire services, or rental car companies. In fact, most marks were so worn or well covered that they could not have occurred in the parking lot.
We have read that because gun thefts from vehicles are so “rampant” in San Antonio that a police chief met with the 400 shooters at that event to warn them about the problem. That did not happen.
In some online discussions, the phrase “national event” has morphed into “National Championship” with implications that gun theft was a problem during that event. To be clear, in 2011, we had no reports of gun theft at the NSCA National Championship, the largest shooting event held annually at the National Shooting Complex. In previous years, we did experience some gun thefts during the National Championship, and we responded by implementing a number of procedures to eliminate as much risk as possible. We have 24-hour security on the grounds during events, and we have improved our gate security. For the past several years, we have also made 24-hour gun storage available at a very modest fee throughout all events so that shooters never have to leave their firearms in vehicles or hotel rooms.
While we can’t guarantee the security of your firearm if it is left in a vehicle on or off the NSC property, we will continue to improve our efforts to keep you and your property as safe as possible. We also offer some suggestions for securing your firearms and equipment while at the National Shooting Complex, at other gun clubs, or at any off-site amenities:

  • Use our gun storage facility. At a cost of only $5 per day during events, it is inexpensive security for your firearms. While they are there, we accept full responsibility for your guns.
  • Be vigilant. Know who is around you and who is able to see what is in your vehicle. Remember that rental cars, out-of-state license plates, bumper stickers and decals, and the items you leave visible in your vehicle can identify you as a tourist or traveling shooter, so exercise additional caution.
  • As soon as you leave the NSC, remove the brightly-colored mirror hangtag indicating you are authorized to be on the property during events. Place it out of view.
  • Consider how you and your vehicle look to thieves. Remember that criminals don’t have to mark your car at the gun range to identify you later as transporting a gun if you give the impression you’ve just left the range. Can other shooters identify you as a shooter when they see you at a hotel or restaurant? So can criminals. Having gun-related stickers on your vehicle, walking across a hotel parking lot with a gun case, or wearing your shooting gear into a restaurant makes your vehicle a target. What does a casual look through your vehicle window reveal? Make sure all shooting-related items are out of sight, even if they aren’t themselves valuable.
  • Insure your firearms. While insurance won’t keep them from getting stolen, you’ll be a lot less unhappy about losing your guns if they are adequately insured. NSSA-NSCA offers its members discounted gun insurance through SIAI.
 
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