Has Anyone Ever Lost A Firearm In A Break In ?

[billt]

Tab made me think of this in the "What's Wrong With Colt", thread. I've been very fortunate. I have never had my home broken into. It has been pure luck because I lived alone up until I met Melanie in 1983. Before that I was single and working very long hours, and my house was a perfect target for anyone who cared to take notice. Luckily no one did. I had a window A/C unit that anyone could have just walked up the driveway and pushed in. I had no gun safe at the time. Few were even on the market in the 70's.

Has anyone else had this happen? If so were your weapons ever recovered? I think about this now, more than ever. Society is changing, and not for the better I'm afraid.   Bill T.

[ellis4538]

30+ years ago I had a 15 year old neighbor in my house before I had gone 100' from my house!  When I got home the next morning I discovered the breakin and went directly to where I kept my shotgun and discovered it gone but no ammo missing.  Then I remembered my S&W M 41 which was also gone w/ammo.  Luckily for me and DUMB for him, rather than moving 2' to the right to keep out of the snow he walked right thru it  leaving tracks!  Got the guns back, no problem but it was a weak-up call and I got a safe!  Fast forward to today and he has been implicated in a murder and is facing more hard time!  I keep everything locked up when not in use.

Richard

[crusader rabbit]

Yesterday, I had to meet the Pest Guy at one of my rental units, so as I was getting ready to walk out the door to my place, I checked my front pocket for my keys.  I felt them there, and it wasn't until I slammed the locked front door to my place that I realized the keys I felt in my pocket were the keys to the rental--not my keys.   (Quite a sinking feeling).

Anyway, Bunny was at work, and I didn't want to make that embarrassing call, so I looked for a way to break into my own home.  It was waaay too easy.  (Of course, my big dog wasn't trying to rip my leg off as I hope we would if it was a bad guy doing the same thing.)  So, between THAT wake-up call, and THIS post, Crusader is making some changes.

Bad guys couldn't get guns because they are in the safe.  So is jewelry and other valuables.  But, being burgled is an invasion of great magnitude.  Happened to me some thirty years ago.  All they got was  Kennedy box loaded with a collection of very fine tools--some of which I have never been able to replace. But, it also left me feeling as if I'd been violated.  And it left me angry.

Now, I have walked the perimeter and confirmed that bad guys would have to come through a wall or break through a door or window to get in.  The place ain't bullet-proof, but between the secured ports of entry, and my very large dog, I feel a little safer.

Crusader

[ericire12]

All my grandfathers guns were stolen from my sister's house once during a break in. They would have eventually been mine, but now that piece of family history is gone forever.

[Walter45Auto]

My dad has lost a few in break ins (Back when I wasn't old enough for guns yet). One out of the 3 or four was returned. When it was stolen it was unfired. When we got it back it needed cleaning. We keep them locked up in a safe or on us.

[Sponsor]

[ratcatcher55]

There was a scum bag who burgled homes in PA just for firearms.

He would look at the obiturary pages for people who the words like: hunter, sportsman, shooter, gun club member in the anouncement.
He would break in to the house when the funeral was going on and then pawn or sell the guns in another town.

The BATF had him dirty for over 600 firearms thefts in 2001.


Just letting you know.

[Rob10ring]

About 35 years ago, our family home was burgled, while we were at church. My dad didn't have a safe, so guns were hidden throughout the house. The goblins took a few guns that they found and some other valuables and rolled them all up in my parents' bed spread. About 15 years later, a Ruger 10-22 that'd been stolen in that burglary showed up in gang members trunk in East Lost Angeles. My dad bought it back from the insurance company and cleaned it up(it really needed it). One of my brothers has it now.

I had a break-in to my car 15 years ago. It happened to be the night right after my pickup date on a used Nylon 66. Unfortunately, it was also the day that I picked up the keys to a new home and in going to see the house and taking family to see, I forgot the rifle. Someone who went car to car stealing stereos that night found the Nylon 66 and decided that they had enough loot. I reported it, but have never seen it again. It's probably in some idiot's closet.

[TAB]

colt cobra, s&w 411 and a ppk.  Long story short, I didn't have a safe at the time, so I had them in a tool box.  They stole the tool box.  They didn't find the long guns. 

[twyacht]

My Grandfather's Apt. in the 70's

1 BAR (yes, a REAL B.A.R)
2 Gov't issued .45 ACP's from WWII.
Several $20 Gold Pieces from the 1800's, other valuable coins.
Antique Swiss and German Tools with wooden cases.

Fortunately, the 1891 Argentine Mauser, Ka-Bar knives, and some other valuables were kept at his sisters.

All of which I have now, but NOT the items above...

I HATE a thief.!!!

[m25operator]

My neighbor got hit about 2 months ago, they got 18 firearms, most old and sentimental, but some modern stuff too, AR15, Mini 14, Colt Commander, that belonged to a mutual friend now deceased that I installed a Kart match barrel in. Won't be hard to spot at a gunshow. They did catch 1 thief, and he got back some of the older stuff, and his Maverick pistol grip shotgun. He did not have a safe. Most home insurance these days only give 2500.00 coverage and up to 2500.00 for 1 gun for a total of 5,000.00. If you want more, it will be a rider, and you must have serial numbers etc... to get it. The NRA has a good supplemental policy, and you don't have to provide serial numbers, except for individual guns above a certain value, it is a bargain.

I'm lucky ( knock on wood ), before I had a safe, I would split my guns between mine and my parents house, in hard guncases, but I would take the barrels off the shotguns, bolts out of the rifles and mix and match them, so no one gun case had a sellable item in it. some under the bed, and the other cases in the attic. When I bought my 1st safe, a warm feeling cascaded over me, when I set it up, and put my stuff away. It was the cost of one good pistol.

On the insurance, don't forget, the scopes, magazines and other accessories, are not firearms, and should be covered under your home owners policy limits, they will argue, but look at the wording in your own policy. Many rifles have scopes on them, equal in cost to the rifle.