Started bad...ending ok.

[kevinsmith5]

The wife and I are having the kitchen redone and the drywallers came today. The wife and i have been staying over my mother in laws garage for two weeks already, but I've been checking the.house daily when I come home from work. Id moved all my handguns over the garage with us and had the long guns all in the cabinet in the locked work room (closed in garage) surounded by by a wall of boxes. Wife swore we wouldn't have room for all of them above garage and they'd be firmer in a locked room in a.locked hidden cabinet. Get home today and head down to look at the drywall and as usual checked every room in the house. Noticed right away the inside door to the work room had been opened (sealed it with painters tape before the work started).  Discovered the two man crew that had been dropped off by the drywall company owner (two Hispanics) took the liberty of searching through every room in the house and the closets. They'd moved the boxes from around the gun cabinet and gotten into it, taken every one of the long guns out and played with them. Two were upside down, my Buffalo Classic was cocked and upside down, all were in the wrong places, and one of them was missing. They had taken my Winchester Model 131 bolt action .22. Best we can figure they got down there first and then went through the house looking for the magazine (my bed room closet). Fortunately they know next to nothing about guns, of all the rifles and shotguns in the cabinet it has the least monetary value. It does have a pretty blonde stock on it that i made for it after I bought it for $40 at a pawn shop, and i reblued the whole barrel and action. I called our genersl contractor, a friend of the family, she wigged out, called the sherrif, and her and the owner of the drywall company drove over with them to the house they were in.   They have been arrested and the gun recovered. Deputies figure they thought we wouldn't be back for weeks so no one would know which of the many workers did it. On the upside the wife has agreed my anniversary present will be a real vault (NOT HER GRANDPA'S CABINET). And all the long guns are lined up on her side of the bed....

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

[mechanic]

Thats a really lucky, unlucky break.  If you hadn't checked, and the workers hadn't been morons, you could have lost them all....
 
Ben

[tacklebury]

Lucky break man.  I transferred all mine during vacation in case my kids school acquaintences who knew we would be gone might try something.  Glad you got it back. 

[Dinny]

I've had a Browning fire safe for about 10 years now. I have plans to bolt it to the floor with a 1" concrete anchor after I place it in front of the side garage door. I doubt anyone takes my guns for a joy ride.   The safe weighs 760lbs empty. It's a bear to move but I smile every time knowing my guns and wife's small valuables are secure.


Thanks, Dinny

[OldSchoolRanger]

Wow! That's all I can say, you are one lucky guy! Nuff said!

[ratdog]

i would be sick if some one took my gun and my buffalo classic i just got i hope you put the screws to the thief's.

[cwlongshot]

Sorry top read this KS, I HATE a thief! Glad you recoverd your property. Seemingly quick and easily.
 
YES DO INVEST IN A QUALITY SAFE!!!
 
 I recommend overlapping layers of security, safes at the front line coupled with a security system that's NOT dependant of any exterior power or phone line source. Than couple other Lil things topping everything off with GOOD NEIGHBORS!! You cannot always stop a thief, but you CAN make to too difficult effectively making them go elsewhere..
 
CW

[Catshooter45]

Dinny,
 
You might want to re-think.  That 900 pound safe sounds like it's heavy, and it is for one man.
 
But throw four big guys high on (at least) adrenaline and an appliance dolley and that puppy can disappear into the back of a pickup mighty quick.  Nail her down!  Don't put it off, you don't want that kind of regret load.
 
 
Cat

[gendoc]

i'm glad that i doan havta worry bout thieves get'n my firearms... much less
get'n inside my house.  they would and will be had before tha notion of thieve'n
comes cross there pee brain !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
made an example years back, and it still lingers in this swamp

[scootrd]

I hate thieves.
A friend of mine is a framer. Someone broke into his garage and took all his tools , saws , etc..
Took about 3 months but some of his stolen items showed up in a pawn shop .
He got them back , but never recovered most that was stolen.

The person that pawned them was arrested. When he was picked up he had burglary tools in his car.

If I understood correctly,  this was like the guys 6 or 7th offense.

[MSP Ret]

I also am happy for you that you recovered your stolen gun. Be very thankful you found it when you did. The chances are they would have been back for more if you had not found it when you did. Thieves are not smart and will often come back to the same place, more than once or twice as well, if they know there is more to steal there....<><.... 

[kevinsmith5]

Just an update, they both turned out to be illegals and are supposedly going to be deported. Assuming the Feds actually follow their own rules.

[Smoke Wagon]

Chances are they will be deported. I know that INS usually doesn't and sends them to a holding facility to await a hearing in front of a federal immigration judge. Your case is a little different. It usually doesn't matter that they stole someone property, because it's considered a property crime. What sets your case apart is that it involved a firearm. Now the reason that is important is that is a federal offense for an illegal alien to posses a firearm or any ammunition. If they are caught with either the ATF considers it to be a violent felony and grounds for immediate deportation.
 
I had an illegal alien that we had dealt with multiple times that was a convicted burglar, never deported. Then one day we arrested him for a simple fight and found a 357 mag cartridge in his pocket. Just so happened a friend of ours from the ATF was at the office when we brought him in. We told him about the guy and when he found out about the cartridge he got all excited contacted the federal attorney and next thing we know he's back in Mexico beautiful when it works.