Midstate gun shop break-ins similar but not linked; part of statewide rise in such crimes

Gun shop burglaries in Warner Robins and Monroe County this month were similar but are not thought to be linked, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.

“I spoke with the case agents ... They don’t feel that they’re being done by the same people,” said agency spokesman Nero Priester.

But the burglaries are part of a “dramatic” rise in break-ins and guns stolen at gun stores across Georgia compared to last year, Priester said.

In 2015, Georgia recorded 33 gun-store burglaries for a total 429 guns stolen, he said. As of Friday, 41 gun-store break-ins had been recorded in which 671 guns were stolen.

The midstate break-ins

In and out in minutes, gloved and masked suspects smashed their way into both gun shops — though the Oct. 2 break-in in Warner Robins was much more dramatic and did more damage.

Four suspects rammed a midsize SUV through the front door of Oakridge Custom and Finishing at 2292 Moody Road, No. 100.

Early Tuesday, two suspects threw a large piece of asphalt through the front window of Ventures Guns and Stuff at 8535 Rivoli Road in the Bolingbroke community of Monroe County.

Handguns were stolen from the Warner Robins store, while semi-automatic rifles and Glock handguns were taken in the Monroe County break-in, store owners said.

“They got specific items,” said Gary Tucker, owner of Ventures Guns and Stuff. “They knew where they were, and they knew what they wanted, and they got ‘em.”

Stolen guns often end up being used in crimes and can show up anywhere in the world through illegal gun selling networks that work much like illegal drug trafficking networks, authorities say.

Last year, authorities used a serial number to link a gun used in the May 2015 fatal shooting of New York City police officer Brian Moore to the October 2011 burglary of Little’s Bait & Tackle & Pawn Shop on Courtney Hodges Boulevard in Perry.

A federal ATF report found that in 2012, 190,000 firearms were reported lost or stolen to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.

Georgia was No. 2 in the country for the most guns reported lost or stolen, only behind Texas, the report found. Georgia reported 12,602 weapons stolen, compared to just 304 reported lost.

Easy to conceal, transport and sell, guns are a universal commodity, Priester said.

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Midstate gun shop break-ins similar but not linked; part of statewide rise in such crimes."