We’re working on a long story on an epidemic of organized-crime gun theft. It’s amazing just how many thefts are happening, and how many of them are being done by professional criminals. ATF has scores (no exaggeration) of open store burglaries, some of them smash-and-grabs by very fast-moving teams.
Their typical targets are pistols, first, and then black rifles, but any firearm hits every thief’s two-prong test: portable, and salable. These guns go on to circulate, most of them in the criminal, underground economy, and often turn up in crimes.
In addition to the store burglaries, which give organized crime (think MS-13 and the Hell’s Angels, not La Cosa Nostra) a revenue and weapons stream, there are lots of home burglaries. The haul for a home burglar is usually less (a gun or three) and often comprises only sporting or heirloom guns that have limited criminal utility. They still would rather steal them than many other products, even if they can’t use them in their crimes. While store burglaries give organized crime lots of late-model guns, residential burglaries probably put more total guns into criminal commerce per annum.
But the real low-hanging fruit, from the viewpoint both of criminals and of those of us who would rather not gun those &^$&*%s up, is guns in cars. Right now, Bloomberg and his captive PR-flack “journalists” like Mike Spies are placing a raft of “reporting” in the media that amounts to little more than propaganda for what they see as a “common sense” next step on their mission to ban firearms in the hands of the Great Unwashed.
Car burglaries are really a problem. Police never do more than a cursory investigation, and never catch the perpetrators or recover the stolen materials (except if a gun turns up ant another crime scene). Prosecutors can’t be bothered, and the urban culture excuses it, especially when the burglars are juveniles. Bloomberg’s minions actually have written that poor, black children are entitled to break into cars and steal anything they find there, because poverty and racism. (That’s an insult to anyone who’s poor, black and honest, but since Bloomberg’s people are rich, white and shifty, they don’t know anyone like that).
We can’t do anything about the media that Bloomberg’s billions buys. But we can do what’s under our control. Let’s think about how not to get your gun car burgled.
There are a few simple rules:
- Don’t park in crime-ridden cities. Let the Uber guy get his stuff stolen.
- Don’t leave your gun in the gorram car. Ever.
- Corollary to Rule #2: intercourse Gun Free Zone signs. Most places, all they can do if you’re detected is ask you to leave. (If they do, leave; it’s not a safe place anyway). Of course, if it’s work, they can fire you. That’s okay. Somebody else will hire you, and that was the furthest thing from a safe workplace anyway.
- PDs and agencies should have zero tolerance for officers and agents who leave firearms in their personal or g-ride. It would be a firing offense, if any of those agencies had a whiff of standards and ethics. Since law enforcement is incapable of disciplining itself, they probably need a legislative kick in the teeth. This should be brought up any time some anti-gun political appointee shows up in his unearned uniform to inveigh the legislature to ban this or that. “What are you doing about your own officers’ irresponsibility, Chief?”
We can address home security later. Did you leave your gun in your car today? Please go get it, now. Tomorrow, don’t do it. Car locks, like all locks, keep honest people out. Of course, honest people are never the problem with crime.
This post first appeared on weaponsman.com by Hognose
