32 guns stolen from vehicle, police say - Memphis

[The Legion]

This area is at I-40 and Sycamore View by Bass Pro coming into Memphis.  The Hotels in this area are not safe.

 

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/38728521/thief-steals-over-15k-worth-of-guns-from-vehicle

 

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -

Thousands of dollars’ worth of guns were stolen out of a vehicle parked at a Memphis hotel, according to Memphis Police Department.

The victim told police he was moving from Virginia to New Mexico. He was worried about breaking state and federal laws, so he left his 32 guns locked inside his vehicle while he rested up for another day of driving.

Some time between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday, someone broke out the back window of the victim's vehicle, which was parked outside a hotel near the intersection of Shelby Oaks Drive and Sycamore View Road.

The victim provided police with a detailed list of the guns that were stolen. He said they included 16 rifles, 9 shotguns, 4 handguns, and 3 muzzleloaders. He said the thief did not steal any ammunition, because he kept that stored in different locations.

The guns were valued at $12,900.

Now, guests near the Baymont Inn and Suites are on alert.

"It shouldn't happen, but it happened,” said Butch Clinton, who is visiting Memphis.

He and other guests are concerned that the guns will fall into the wrong hands.

"They're not using common sense, and that's how kids get killed with guns," Clinton said. "The owners of guns do not take responsibility for it."

As of June 30, Memphis Police Department said 554 guns were stolen from vehicles. The reason for the burglaries is a mixture of bold criminals and careless gun owners.

"More people are carrying guns, more guns are being stolen, officers are encountering more guns, but sometimes our hands are tied because the state legislature has extended the house to the car and that makes no sense," said MPD Director Mike Rallings.

Rallings urges everyone to be smarter when it comes to weapons in vehicles.

[A.J. Holst]

The common sense comment got me thinking.

As a rule, I don't leave firearms in vehicles nor sticker up my vehicle with gun guy adverts.

I think the thief was breaking in because it saw an out of state plate and back seat full of stuff. Christmas in July.

Guns in the stocking was simply the best Christmas ever.

I travel by road quite a bit. When I overnight, there's not much appealing for a criminal to see in my car after hours.

[luvmyberetta]

I took my family to Myrtle Beach a couple years ago. We have a news app on our TV that allows us to watch the "local" news anywhere in the country so I watched the Myrtle Beach local news channel every day for a couple weeks before our vacation. One thing that was mentioned several nights on the news was how many guns were being stolen from cars in hotel parking lots at Myrtle Beach. Some were break-ins & some cars were actually left unlocked. I took two handguns with me on that trip. Neither was ever left unattended in our van.

[DaveTN]

Unless it’s laying in plain view, I will never blame anyone for having anything stolen from their locked car; including a gun. This is solely the fault of a criminal.