A shooter at Shooters Paradise gun range in Woodbridge, VA forgot and left his Sig at the range. Later, as caught on video, 3 others walk up, look at the gun, shoot it, and walk out with it. What they didn't know, was it was video taped.

Gun theft video

Quoted: A shooter at Shooters Paradise gun range in Woodbridge, VA forgot and left his Sig at the range. Later, as caught on video, 3 others walk up, look at the gun, shoot it, and walk out with it. What they didn't know, was it was video taped. Gun theft video

Dumbasses all around

Quoted: Quoted: Woman killing herself on the range with a rented gun Is THAT why they don't rent to parties of one!?  Jesus, no wonder!   Somewhat nonsensical though, given that I had my own to fire.  That's still kind of horrible.

Are you sure you are talking about the same place?  Shooters Paradise will rent to parties of one if you have the money to do so.  They stopped renting shortly after the suicide while they were examining the legal aspects of it.  They resumed renting shortly after that.

And YES they have caught the guys that took that firearm.

YES the camera's have always been there, or at least for the last 6 years I have been shooting there.

-TS

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Quoted: height=8 Quoted: height=8 Quoted: Woman killing herself on the range with a rented gun Is THAT why they don't rent to parties of one!?  Jesus, no wonder!   Somewhat nonsensical though, given that I had my own to fire.  That's still kind of horrible.   Are you sure you are talking about the same place?  Shooters Paradise will rent to parties of one if you have the money to do so.  They stopped renting shortly after the suicide while they were examining the legal aspects of it.  They resumed renting shortly after that. And YES they have caught the guys that took that firearm. YES the camera's have always been there, or at least for the last 6 years I have been shooting there. -TS

We are CERTAINLY talking about the same place.  The last time I went was on MLK day and asked to rent a pistol.  The gentleman behind the counter told me they do not rent to parties of one but still offered me a lane, which I somewhat disappointedly accepted.  

It was a busy day, maybe someone got confused?  I've only been there twice since moving to the area a couple of months ago, and the first time was on a very slow Monday afternoon.  That first time they DID rent to just me, which led me to conclude that he was bending the rules since it was a slow business day anyway.  

I guess I should call about this the next time I go?  

I know that brain-farts happen, but damn!!  We're not talking about forgetting a wallet. And as much loot that is spent getting a firearm ( let alone the toys ), seems that the gun's location would be forefront on the mind at all times when out in public.

Personally I don't think anything should happen to the owner,  I am sure that this was a lesson that he has learned by experience.  Especially if he reflects on the " what could have happened ".

Now is he responsible enough for firearm ownership?  I'm not the one to say either way...but...I  dont think I would want to be the one to 'sign-off' on a concealed-carry permit for this individual.

But in a way this whole episode is a good thing.  It has re-focused our attention on the importance of knowing where & how secure your firearm is.

Quoted: Have the guys that took the gun been caught as of yet?

+1

Anybody heard anything?

They've been caught:

http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193092991&path=!news!localvirginia!crime

They printed the thieves names, so we can follow this through the VA Courts web site and see what kind of penalty they get.

I was the night manager for a gun shop/range 6 days a week for 5 years down here in Virginia Beach (I quit 3 years ago to fulfill a sea duty commitment to the US Navy).

You simply cannot afford to pay someone to sit and watch cameras at most gun stores/ranges.  Mostly, it's to record what happened for liability purposes in the event of mishap or theft.  Looks like the cameras at Shooters Paradise worked as advertised.

I'll agree that gun owners have a responsibility to be dilligent with their guns, but they're just as human as anyone else.  I mean, when is the last time YOU knew EXACTALLY how your son/daughter operated your car?  More people get killed by/in cars every year than any dozen or so years of actual gun deaths, and EVERYONE seems to have access to a car!  Careful with that glass house thing!  Even LEO are not immune.  As a point of fact, the SEAL teams would shoot 1 weekend a month at our range, all the cool toys, and they were amongst the worst violators of the basic rules of gun safety, and it was HELL trying to keep civvys from acting like them when they were there.

That being said, when I was night guy, we had 24 lanes in 3 bays.  I instituted the policy that every lane was looked at before another person was assigned to it.  On busy days, with as many as 75 people in the bays, and lines of 30+ shooters waiting, it was all but impossible.  Mistakes happen, you just have to have controls in place to rapidly detect them when they do.

You simply would not believe the things that people forget at the range.  I've had every type of gun and accessory you can imagine left at the range.  Usually someone would turn things in when they realized that the guy next to them was gone and wasn't coming back!  Now that's respect, huh?  

In 5 years, I saw 1 AD in the showroom, 1 attempted suicide, and 1 "I shot myself in the leg" that was really just a grazing that barely broke the skin, in addition to every make/model of gun KB and failure/breakage.  Then there was the idiot G'banger wanna be that was showing off his new pistol grip shotgun to his girlfriend and his buddy.  Put the pisol grip right in front of his face and pulled the trigger on a healthy 00 buck.  Recoil impact with his face removed 8 teeth.  I had to call a cease fire so that he could go forward of the benches and retrieve his teeth before he left for the emergency room.  He tried to sue, but tape showed that one of the desk employees showed him how to shoot it properly (NOT in front of his face).

Anyway, as a semi public place with limited access in a niche market like gun shooters, you stand a better chance that the guy next to you is watching your back to help keep you safe as well as keep you from being stupid.

Tom

Oh, I LOVE how everyone is wanting to crucify the gun owner that forgot his gun WITHOUT his side of the story.  I'm reminded of one guy that ran out and left a whole set box of NM 45s one day, just left 'em on the bench like he went to the bathroom, but left the shop!  Calls back 2 days later......his wife had a heart attack and crashed the car.  Up until he called, everyone was calling him a dumb ass, too!

Quoted: They stopped renting shortly after the suicide while they were examining the legal aspects of it.  They resumed renting shortly after that. -TS

Do they do 4473s before renting?

Quoted: There was an incident just a couple of years ago where a FX cop drove off from the intersection of Braddock Road and the FX County Parkway with his weapon on top of the patrol car.  As I recall, the weapon was never found (or reported found, in any case).   Brain farts happen!

And in the mid 1990s, an M-16A2 was lost out the door of a New York National Gaurd Huey flying at altitude over a remote section of a national park in upstate NY (the helicopter banked sharply and the unsecured weapon slid accross the floor & out the door). Several units conducted massive searches but never located the gun -   probably due to the height of the fall. Aparently there was a LOT of paperwork & misery as a result of that loss.

Accidents happen.

Quoted: Quoted: There was an incident just a couple of years ago where a FX cop drove off from the intersection of Braddock Road and the FX County Parkway with his weapon on top of the patrol car.  As I recall, the weapon was never found (or reported found, in any case).   Brain farts happen! And in the mid 1990s, an M-16A2 was lost out the door of a New York National Gaurd Huey flying at altitude over a remote section of a national park in upstate NY (the helicopter banked sharply and the unsecured weapon slid accross the floor & out the door). Several units conducted massive searches but never located the gun -   probably due to the height of the fall. Aparently there was a LOT of paperwork & misery as a result of that loss. Accidents happen.

Back in the late 1960s a bunch of us were riding up I-64 from Norfolk to Richmond to a concert and there was a big terrible wreck which occurred just in front of us, including a lot of hurt and some dead people. We were sitting around our car waiting to get by when these National Guard trucks came racing up from behind through the middle of the stopped traffic because they had medics with them.

The NG trucks stopped right in front of us and all the troops jumped out and placed their M-14s against the guard rail then ran to help the victims.

After it was all over they all ran back and jumped in their trucks and hauled ass up I-64 leaving us standing there stunned looking at their rifles against the guard rail. We weren't sure what to do, take them to a police station, leave them alone or what?

Before we could make up our minds the  trucks came racing backwards down I-64 and the troops jumped out and thanked us for "watching" their rifles. Those guys were telling us "you can't imagine what would have happened to us, etc"

So, you just never know the why and what of any weapon left or lost. Heck, I've been in the woods and laid my rifle against a tree and walked off leaving it there.

But as far as those M-14s, I'm kinda of proud to say that even as wild and unruly as we were back then, not a one of us even gave a thought to take those rifles.

Quoted: Quoted: They stopped renting shortly after the suicide while they were examining the legal aspects of it.  They resumed renting shortly after that. -TS Do they do 4473s before renting?

No they do not do 4473's prior to renting, that would mean they are transferring them to the 'renter'.  They merely take your Drivers License/Govt issued ID.

Krylon- who denied you in renting a firearm?  Can I have the name(in IM of course).  I was there on MLK, for most of the day and they were renting them left and right.  This is apparently a minor issue as you are the only one I have heard of that was denied.(outside the time when that cabinet was off limits due to the suicide).


RSF45- I posted they were caught on 2/8/07(my previous post), unless I am misreading it myself.

PM sentaroo!

Quoted: BTW, would that theft be a felony?

 Theft of a firearm from a licensed dealer is a felony. I call stealing it from those premises the same.
Judge hopefully will also.

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Quoted: I have not yet found the story of thieves being arrested,  but since three perps were in the range area, they must have signed in and ID'd themselves to shoot at range ??? seems like a little detective work was/is in order.

http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193092991&path=!news!localvirginia!crime

All three were caught and were each charged with one count of grand larceny.  They have court on March 22.  The article also has the suspects names it in, so I'll check the VA Courts web site after March 22 to see what happens if the press doesn't report it.  I hope the judge throws the book at them.

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Quoted: All three were caught and were each charged with one count of grand larceny.  They have court on March 22.  The article also has the suspects names it in, so I'll check the VA Courts web site after March 22 to see what happens if the press doesn't report it.  I hope the judge throws the book at them.

Probably take a little longer than that... Their March 22nd appearance is a preliminary hearing.

 Theft of a firearm from a licensed dealer is a felony. I call stealing it from those premises the same.
Judge hopefully will also.

That is true if the firearm was the dealers firearm and not an individuals.  

It legally wouldn't be considered theft as it was in all tense and purposes left behind....legally it would be considered abandoned.  I am sure the defense will play that card.  

I don't see them getting a felony rather than a reprimand.....probably get a slap on the wrist as I don't see there is grounds for felony charges regardless the item stolen and regardless of where it was stolen.  Being a firearm doesn't hold any extra weight than a pocketbook or book.

I debated with a lawyer for several hours about this and thats where I came up with that thought.

-TS

To reprise what has proven to be a recurring theme of mine lately, being knowledgeable of the laws associated with firearms can be helpful if one owns, possesses, or carries a firearm.  While not related to concealed carry, per se, here's a snippet of the criminal code that seems to pertain:

§ 18.2-95. Grand larceny defined; how punished. Any person who (i) commits larceny from the person of another of money or other thing of value of $5 or more, (ii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of goods and chattels of the value of $200 or more, or (iii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of any firearm, regardless of the firearm's value, shall be guilty of grand larceny, punishable by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than twenty years or, in the discretion of the jury or court trying the case without a jury, be confined in jail for a period not exceeding twelve months or fined not more than $2,500, either or both.

I am not familiar with a code section specifically applicable to theft from FFL-holders.  But I'm not a lawyer either ... so my lack of familiarity should be no real surprise.

I hope they get hard time....that's bad...they could have just turned it in...

fred

looks like Shooter's Paradise has now burned down.

Quoted: looks like Shooter's Paradise has now burned down.

Probably to get rid of the evidence (tape)

Damn shame.  That was right down the street from work. Well, coupla miles, but still close.