pro gun decals acting as lighthouse for thieves

[Dustbuster]

Use care in labeling your main vehicle with stickers or outdoor logos.

from all outdoor dot com

 

Well, I just did not believe the story until I witnessed it in action. Now it seems to be a prevalent trend that hunters’ vehicles are being targeted by carjackers and thieves. The idea being that if a truck is covered in hunting or shooting related stickers, then there is an assumed high probability the vehicle may contain a gun or valued hunting equipment.

I first heard of this a few weeks ago when a contact fresh back from a huge national hunting show in Dallas, Texas was told by the convention people not to park a truck there if it was covered in hunting stickers on the windows. Apparently thieves have been homing in on such shows in D-Town for crash, and steal the stash.

At that show alone my friend told me numerous vendor and show goers had their vehicle windows busted out and the vehicles throttled for any hunting equipment or related items of value. They took guns, hunting gear, optics, GPSs, rangefinders, backpacks, and anything else of value.Then last December, this happened to vehicles at a gun show in Jackson, Mississippi. Police told witnesses that every vehicle hit had hunting or shooting stickers in the windows or related business signs. Thieves think such vehicles automatically mean they may have a gun inside or other expensivehunting gear.Which vehicles hit were the favorite? At that gun show, twelve trucks were broken into and every one of them were Ford F-150s or 250s with pushbutton entry keypads on the doors. The thieves had knowledge of how to pop those keypads out of the door and disable them to unlock the trucks. Do I suspect auto repair or auto body repair people here? Just speculation on my part.Then for several weeks following the gun show incident, the same “M.O.” turned up again with numerous vehicles all across the city. Vehicles bearing outdoors type stickers were hit in parking lots all over town during the broad daylight. They were hit in shopping areas and work site parking lots. The break ins where not “random” as they targeted trucks with hunting, pro-gun, or related stickers.Again, vehicles with keypads were sought, but it was not limited to those. Thieves were caught on camera smashing and dashing all types of trucks, all with some kind of a sticker. So, outdoors folks, be forewarned if your vehicle displays pro-outdoors stickers. Keep your valuable gear locked up at home.

[TNWNGR]

The less you telegraph about yourselves and family on your vehicles the better because it becomes a mobile FB for those who would wish to profit by such indiscretion. I regularly see vehicles that tell me how many people are in a family, where the children go to school, where people work and worse. If I were a terrorist or criminal it would be easy to pick likely victims. But then people are going to be people and not be bothered by thoughts of badness happening to them and there's'.   

[gregintenn]

You put stickers all over your vehicle advertising it's full of guns, and then are surprised when it gets broken into?

Sort of like posting on facebook you're leaving for a 10 day cruise, then returning to find your house has been robbed.

I've never understood either.

[et45]

There was a rash of trucks being broke into and guns stolen in Cleveland not long ago,all the trucks had gun stickers on the back window.The article mentions gun shows also.I used to buy,sell, trade at gun shows often in Chattanooga,Knoxville,Nashville loop.In the 80s/90s  the big shows in Chattanooga and Knoxville were at the Trade Centers downtown with parking in a multi level parking area.I know of several robberies in those garages including one guy who got a serious concussion in Knoxville when he was hit from behind.

 

[TNWNGR]

25 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

You put stickers all over your vehicle advertising it's full of guns, and then are surprised when it gets broken into?

Sort of like posting on facebook you're leaving for a 10 day cruise, then returning to find your house has been robbed.

I've never understood either.

FB has led to a lot of termination of employments , broken families, criminal charges and crimes of opportunity against the careless. This stuff can't really be blamed on FB as its the users who post imprudently to it. Given all of this people still freely divulge the most private of information. As I've already alluded running a billboard for attention will generally draw the wrong kind of attention. And once again, people continue to be people even after being warned. Bottom line...don't be that guy...or girl as the case may be.

 

[TGO David]

Shameless plug... one of the nice things that I intentionally designed into the TGO decals is the fact that at a casual glance, they don't look like a gun-related decal.  There are so  many Tennessee tri-star decals out there that people just see it as one of those unless they are really paying attention.

 

[DaveTN]

When I have to leave my laptop is in the car I leave a handgun lying on the dash. The gun is easier and cheaper to replace than the laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Just kidding.

I have always thought it was common sense not to put Gun/NRA stickers or pot leaf stickers on a car.

[musicman]

I grew up on the edge of a turrrrubble (said in my best Charles Barkley) neighborhood in Miami, FL.  I spent my entire life learning how to not make myself or my belongings a target.  Dad was always chastising us to keep things low key.  Keep everything worth anything out of sight.  We had zero bumper stickers of any kind across all of our vehicles.  The only thing we ever upgraded were the wheels on Dad's first mid-life crisis car.

We were relatively free of theft over the years... while we were on vacation in Boston some local hoods stole two wheels off Dad's week old Avalanche.  They only got two because whenever we went out of town Dad would park the cars super close together and with the driver's doors on the inside so it was just one more hurdle to a thief.  Saved him two wheels, anyway.   :/

Edited September 13, 2016 by musicman

[Garufa]

In this day and age if you advertise via decals or bumper stickers what you have, what you like, or what your political preferences are, you are setting up yourself for theft or vandalism.

[RED333]

Used to do some work for a doctor that had an office in a bad part of town, he had bio-hazard stickers on every window and door. Never once got broke into, no he did not have bio-hazards in the office.

[gregintenn]

3 hours ago, TNWNGR said:

FB has led to a lot of termination of employments , broken families, criminal charges and crimes of opportunity against the careless. This stuff can't really be blamed on FB as its the users who post imprudently to it. Given all of this people still freely divulge the most private of information. As I've already alluded running a billboard for attention will generally draw the wrong kind of attention. And once again, people continue to be people even after being warned. Bottom line...don't be that guy...or girl as the case may be.

 

I didn't intend to blame it on facebook. Facebook only allows an idiot to be an idiot on a worldwide stage. I liken it to a magnifying glass.

[TNWNGR]

11 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I didn't intend to blame it on facebook. Facebook only allows an idiot to be an idiot on a worldwide stage. I liken it to a magnifying glass.

You didn't blame it on FB, I didn't either, it's the users responsibility to have the good sense not to post imprudent information in the belief its safe to do so. FB is only a conduit in that it provides a social media billboard.

[suspiciousmind]

My car has zero stickers on it. I want to be invisible when I drive or I'm parked somewhere.

[monkeylizard]

I don't even like having the dealership sticker on my cars.

[musicman]

50 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

I don't even like having the dealership sticker on my cars.

Me too!  I gave the dealership thousands for the car... not to be their driving advertisement.  I make that part of the deal when I buy a car.  If there is any dealer sticker/emblem on the vehicle, it must be removed before I pay for it.

[peejman]

29 minutes ago, musicman said:

Me too!  I gave the dealership thousands for the car... not to be their driving advertisement.  I make that part of the deal when I buy a car.  If there is any dealer sticker/emblem on the vehicle, it must be removed before I pay for it.

You're doing it wrong....   After you close the deal with the saleman, ask to talk to someone in marketing to discuss your advertising rate.  They'll be really confused when you put a contract on their desk and say "if you could initial here next to the rate and sign here, that'd be great."

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

I don't even like having the dealership sticker on my cars.

I remove them.

[gjohnsoniv]

You know, that's why I removed all the gun stickers off my car. I have considered putting some liberal stickers on though like Green Peace to throw people off.

 

@TGO David I know, it's always a huge disappointment to me when I see the tri-star sticker on a car thinking it is a a TGO member, but turns out it isn't.

[monkeylizard]

6 minutes ago, gjohnsoniv said:

You know, that's why I removed all the gun stickers off my car. I have considered putting some liberal stickers on though like Green Peace to throw people off.

Yeah. Nobody would want to break in to steal patchouli oil and stale granola.

[Patton]

4 hours ago, peejman said:

You're doing it wrong....   After you close the deal with the saleman, ask to talk to someone in marketing to discuss your advertising rate.  They'll be really confused when you put a contract on their desk and say "if you could initial here next to the rate and sign here, that'd be great."

When my wife was an F&I person at a car dealership she had a lender that did third party leases. She rarely used them, but what was interesting was they required, in contract, that the lender's license plate remain on the front unless law required a registered plates on the leased vehicle. I never heard of them doing anything if the plate was removed, but it was stupid anyway. Unless you worked in car sales you didn't know what the bank even was. It was Fifth Third, and I just recently read of them doing a considerable downsizing.

[Dustbuster]

sometimes a rainbow decal w a fight ebola bumper sticker can help! just sayin
and the tgo decals are king of cool most common folk wont read it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, its either this or smoke signals!

[TNWNGR]

3 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

Yeah. Nobody would want to break in to steal patchouli oil and stale granola.

Stinkweed and sawdust....the stuff of hippie dreams...but then with the right illicit drug mix is probably ambrosia for the right crowd...

[NoBanStan]

On 9/13/2016 at 4:26 PM, TGO David said:

Shameless plug... one of the nice things that I intentionally designed into the TGO decals is the fact that at a casual glance, they don't look like a gun-related decal.  There are so  many Tennessee tri-star decals out there that people just see it as one of those unless they are really paying attention.

 

Hey wait a minute....

ShamelEss plug... One of the nice things that I intentionally designed into the TGO decals is the fact that at a casual glance, they don't looK like a gun-RelateD decal.  TheRe are So  many Tennessee trI-star deals out theRe that people just see it as one of those unleSs they are really paying attention.

EOKRDERSTIRS

ORDER STICKERS

 

[TGO David]

Just now, NoBanStan said:

Hey wait a minute....

ShamelEss plug... One of the nice things that I intentionally designed into the TGO decals is the fact that at a casual glance, they don't looK like a gun-RelateD decal.  TheRe are So  many Tennessee trI-star deals out theRe that people just see it as one of those unleSs they are really paying attention.

EOKRDERSTIRS

ORDER STICKERS

 

[NoBanStan]

1 minute ago, TGO David said:

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