THEFTS FROM GUN STORES - Time for some new regulations for securing firearms after stores close

Dec 16, 2016

Dear Canton Mayor and Council:

geneh@canton-georgia.com,
joellen.wilson@canton-georgia.com,
sandy.mcgrew@canton-georgia.com,
bill.grant@canton-georgia.com,
jackg@canton-georgia.com,
farris.yawn@canton-georgia.com,
john.rust@canton-georgia.com,

Nighttime smash and grabs at gun stores are not a new idea but they continue to be successful because many stores do not bother to safely lock up their firearms inventory when they close.

It is no wonder that criminals drive vehicles through their store windows to take whatever they can grab from the display cases. This has been going on to my certain knowledge since the 1970's (see my facebook post below) and it isn't going to stop.

I know that there are no 'gun stores' currently in Canton and probably the only firearms for sale would be at the various Pawn Shops, and only a handful at any of those.

Also there is nothing in City regulations to compel stores to lock up their firearms inventory.
I also know that current ATF regulations do not require guns to be stored in gun safes, they recommend it, but don't mandate it.

I would like to propose that the City tweek the current requirements for businesses so that any retail operation offering firearms for sale would have to secure their guns in a gun safe or similar securely locked cabinet, for those hours that they are closed.

Since there are no current retail firearms dealers in Canton I doubt that there would be any negative input to such a requirement.

I continue to be amazed that most store owners neglect such a simple fix to this problem of nighttime looting of their stores.

If business owners won't do it of their own accord then perhaps it is time to make it a requirement.

Sooner or later someone will want to open a retail store featuring firearms within the City, let's get this regulation on the books now. Better to be proactive than reactive. A well crafted regulation might serve as a template for other cities or counties to also adopt the requirement.

Bill Harris
Canton, Ga.

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Below from my Facebook post:
THEFTS FROM GUN STORES

I’m really pissed off about all these thefts from gun stores.

But wait - I’m not pissed off at the pond scum stealing the guns, I am pissed off at the asshats that own these stupid stores and put the entire community at risk by having their stock stolen.

As a former ‘kitchen table’ FFL holder I have some minor standing to comment and in fact recall quite well a friend who had a gun store about 1970 or so, which was broken into and the hand guns and most of the rifles were stolen.

Same thing with his business, as is being done now in Holly Springs (Ga), a stolen vehicle through the large window and a crew of punks looting the place in 3-4 minutes.

My friend limped along for a bit but eventually went out of business. AFTER the theft he invested in a gun safe to store the firearms after closing. That is locking the barn door after the cow has been stolen.

These folks who run the gun stores sell guns for citizens to buy to ‘protect’ themselves. However, they are mostly to not interested in buying some gun safes to lock up their inventory after they close.

Now I am definitely NOT a friend of the BATF - they should be out of business, but if they had some common sense they would REQUIRE that all firearms be secured in gun safes when the store was closed. The BATF are not good for much but at least they should be able to handle that small job.

Even for my little kitchen table dealings I had a gun safe, the prices on such items are pretty cheap. Here are 3 of the larger gun safes available at Home Depot:

Armorguard 18-Gun Fire Rated Safe with Electronic Lock and Door Storage, Black
Model# A-18-MB-E-S $349.00

24-Gun Fire Resistant Back-Lit Electronic Lock Safe, Brown Hammertone $621.23

Armorguard 40-Gun Fire Resistant Electronic Lock Safe, Matte Black
Model# A-40-MB-E-S Was $759.21 $649.00

The gun store in Holly Springs could buy all 3 for what it will cost to rebuild the front of their store. I believe they are now on their 3rd break in where firearms were taken. I drove by there today and the plywood was still over the windows.

Just a matter of time before someone sued their rear ends off if someone in their family is injured by one of those stolen guns that was left out in a display case.

And here is one more free piece of info for them: Put some concrete planters filled with dirt in front of their stores, it will slow down the crooks a bit. Banks, stores and some malls have done this for years.

One more time on this:
Irresponsible gun store owners are putting all of us at risk by failing to lock up their inventory when they close.