Attempted gun theft at the range today

[Black_Sheep]

Some friends and I went shooting for about an hour today. When we were packing up to leave, Benny asked if I picked up his Model 64 by mistake. I checked my bag and it wasn't in there so we checked the table behind the firing line where our range bags sat while we were shooting. Benny found his gun under some coats about 8' from where our gear was. There was a group of 4 young guys sharing the lane yet none of them knew how the gun ended up under their coats.

Benny was positive that the gun was in his range bag so we're 99.99% certain that one of the group was attempting to steal it. It takes a lot of nerve to do something like that while the owner is 10' away with a gun in his hand...

 

[rebs081]

just goes to show ya there are all kinds of people in the world and there not all decent

 

[NMPinNYC]

Some friends and I went shooting for about an hour today. When we were packing up to leave, Benny asked if I picked up his Model 64 by mistake. I checked my bag and it wasn't in there so we checked the table behind the firing line where our range bags sat while we were shooting. Benny found his gun under some coats about 8' from where our gear was. There was a group of 4 young guys sharing the lane yet none of them knew how the gun ended up under their coats.

Benny was positive that the gun was in his range bag so we're 99.99% certain that one of the group was attempting to steal it. It takes a lot of nerve to do something like that while the owner is 10' away with a gun in his hand...

How'd you wind up looking under those guys' coats? Sounds like a delicate proposition.

 

[OK Hog Shooter]

Ignorance can be cured... Stupid is forever! Stupid attempting to steal a gun while the owner is shooting a few feet away is certifiable! Duh...

 

[vytoland]

did you notify the range master or owner and call the police??

 

[Black_Sheep]

NMPinNYC - Benny was rapidly approaching panic mode so he wasn't bashful about where he looked...

did you notify the range master or owner and call the police??

We let the owner know what happened, he's a no nonsense kind of guy so I'm sure it'll be handled. He was going to see if there was any video from any of the closed circut cameras, I'll ask him what happened next weekend.

 

[sophie]

Man there is all kinds of crazies out there. I can't believe they would attempt to steal a gun from your friend with you guys so close by. Good thing he wasn't bashful about looking under their coats. Good thinking. Those guys were up to no good. I am suprised everyone kept their cool. That doesn't sound like no accident to me. I can't stand a thief, regardless.



_____
James

 

[Kelly Green]

I'm no LEO so this may be a dumb question. Since the person who attempted to steal your friend's gun was in the possession of a weapon, would that be considered attempted armed robbery?

 

[charlie sherrill]

No on the armed robbery but still a felony in most states.

 

[Alpo]

Depending on the value of the missing gun (so as to whether it is petite theft or grand theft), in Florida it might be "possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony", which is a minimum 10 years, under our "10-20-life" law.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

Would a gun being under somebody's coat, in that setting, i.e. range, constitute possession?

I know specific circumstances would apply so my question is a general one.

 

[Alk8944]

As Charlie said, no robbery since the property was not taken by use of force or fear. Theft of a firearm is a felony in most jurisdictions. And Alpo is correct in that in most jurisdictions the possession of a firearm during commission of a felony results in a significant enhancement. In many jurisdictions, forgetting the theft being a firearm, the posession of a firearm during the commission of any other criminal act elevates that act to a felony.

 

[bitstream]

Thanks for the notice; I guess we can all be more careful when shooting to keep an eye on our stuff.

Perhaps they wanted a gun that they weren't linked to via records...

 

[Sebago Son]

How "young" were these guys? Were there any other signs of trouble with them? Appearance, demeanor, behaviors?

Sounds like someone needs a good asskicking...

 

[mwtdvm]

Back in the late 90's

I was shooting on the 100 yd range and I had my "box" opened on my PU truck. I had three bipods, short med and long.

A bunch of H Boy Scouts were there at the time, shooting 22 RF.

After they left, I noticed the med bipod was missing.
I hope who ever took it had a guilty conscience later but I doubt it.

 

[chud333]

I'm with Drew, Someone needed a good *** whuppin'.....
They would've had to do some good explaining to me had it been my
gun. Hope the cameras caught them in the act. I have no use for a thief.


chuck

 

[oldman45]

I agree with every post in this thread.

That said, I would be remiss in my life if I did not say this as well.

Not everyone on this earth is honest. That includes gun owners and shooters. Just as you would not leave a gun unattended out in the open at your home, you should be even more vigilant at a public gun range. I am at a range 1-2 times a week. I do not know each person there. I will not leave any of my guns unattended or out of my sight. The guns I am using will be on the table in front of my lane. Those I am not using will be in a locked box under the table. If I leave the lane for a moment, I put all guns in that locked box and it goes with me. Lots of things that go missing at gun ranges.

 

[brucev]

Some friends and I went shooting for about an hour today. When we were packing up to leave, Benny asked if I picked up his Model 64 by mistake. I checked my bag and it wasn't in there so we checked the table behind the firing line where our range bags sat while we were shooting. Benny found his gun under some coats about 8' from where our gear was. There was a group of 4 young guys sharing the lane yet none of them knew how the gun ended up under their coats.

Benny was positive that the gun was in his range bag so we're 99.99% certain that one of the group was attempting to steal it. It takes a lot of nerve to do something like that while the owner is 10' away with a gun in his hand...

Glad that your friend found his revolver. I realize I am not clear about the location of tables, etc. I've been to ranges where coats and other such extra stuff was piled on a table by the window, etc. How the revolver migrated to that table you describe is a real question. Hopefully any security video will show what happened.

 

[Malysh]

Sorry for your bad experience at the range!

We had a very bad event happen here in central PA. a few summers ago.
A young father and husband, former Army and an attorney was shooting at a state public range near Carlisle. He had a suppressed AR-10 type rifle. A guy shot him twice when he went to check his target and killed him. The guy took his rifle, too.
The felon was unfortunately a former Marine gunny who must have gone around the bend. He is 64 and was a guard at White Hill State prison, which is in the area. He claimed he took the gun to help arm a militia.
This was the worst shooting range event I've ever heard of.

Semper Fi,
Mike

 

[Steve in Vermont]

A good rule of thumb is to use a range bag. If you're not using a gun, or whatever, it's in the bag. That way all you need do is keep an eye on the bag. And keep it out where you can watch it. This is especially true if you don't know others at the range personally. Would you set your wallet down on a counter in a public store and take your eyes off it? Remember we talked about situational awareness in another post.