View Full Version : Westminster arms gets robbed
http://kdvr.com/2017/04/09/guns-stolen-in-smash-and-grab-at-gun-store-in-arvada/
I'm in this place all the time, they're good people. This is a shame.
theGinsue
04-09-2017, 14:23
Not sure why more gun shops don't get concrete filled steel ballard posts installed in the front & back of the stores to prevent this type of robbery.
Yea, they seem to have left their stock on the shelf too. That seems like a big fail to me.
Not sure why more gun shops don't get concrete filled steel ballard posts installed in the front & back of the stores to prevent this type of robbery.
It'll cover the smash & grab but there have been instances where the steel gates at the doors were *pulled* off.
...and technically they were the victims of a burglary not a robbery.
Bailey Guns
04-09-2017, 15:16
I had BFR's (more like 4500 lb boulders, really) laid out 2 feet apart in front of my store, an alarm system, steel doors and bars on the windows and put the guns in safes at night. I was still worried someone would break in.
This has got to be a nightmare to deal with. Better hope the paperwork is in order.
Zundfolge
04-09-2017, 15:34
Not sure why more gun shops don't get concrete filled steel ballard posts installed in the front & back of the stores to prevent this type of robbery.
I bet its because most of them don't own their buildings and their landlords won't let them do it.
Aloha_Shooter
04-09-2017, 19:29
I have a friend who owns a gun shop but everything goes into the safe at night. Someone might do a smash-and-grab but they'd only be able to get accessories (and not much of that because my buddy doesn't stock much of that). I get that it's a pain in the ass to put everything away but I just don't understand leaving firearms out in open sight overnight.
BPTactical
04-09-2017, 20:36
I have a friend who owns a gun shop but everything goes into the safe at night. Someone might do a smash-and-grab but they'd only be able to get accessories (and not much of that because my buddy doesn't stock much of that). I get that it's a pain in the ass to put everything away but I just don't understand leaving firearms out in open sight overnight.
Complacency / laziness is a bitch.
Unless it's a fortress like 5280 Armory.....
Drove by there this morning and saw it boarded up. Seems like this scrap is happening too often anymore.
I sure hope they got their universal background checks done before they stole those firearms. They wouldn't want to break the law. [Sarcasm2]
electronman1729
04-09-2017, 23:03
That sucks, I remember buying my first gun from John after I graduated from college.
Sucks to happen. John and the crew are cool guys. Possible NFA stuff taken
I'm scared shit less when I go on vacation and have my guns in the safe. If I owned a gun shop
I think I'd have to sleep there to feel comfortable.
SuperiorDG
04-10-2017, 07:58
John the owner posted this on Facebook.
"Thank you everyone for the well-wishes. We are working through this latest challenge, and we will be back to "normal" in short order. We are not commenting on how many/ or if ANY firearms were taken during the break in. No customers firearms or NFA items were taken, and that is the extent of information that we are comfortable with providing to social media, or the media in general. Please respect that we have a lot of work to do, and would appreciate not having to answer prying questions by those without a need to know. I can tell you that we secure our shop, and our inventory, and also that we have state of the art security and 24 hour surveillance. No, I am not interested in unsolicited advice about how you would handle the situation. Thanks~
Sincerely,
Westminster Arms"
...and technically they were the victims of a burglary not a robbery.
Thank you. Words have meaning. It appears that even the media doesn't understand the difference (surprise, surprise).
Of course it's not technically a burglary, it is a burglary.
O2
Grant H.
04-10-2017, 09:12
Yeah, it sucks that this happened...
But what gun store thinks not locking the guns up at night is an okay idea at this point?
spqrzilla
04-10-2017, 11:11
The reality is that nothing can completely prevent any burglary. You can only raise the level of investment the burglar has to make. And its diminishing returns like so much.
usmctarzan
04-10-2017, 11:25
Damn poor guys I like that shop.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've been a customer of John's through 4 different shop locations as he built up his business... It made me sick to hear this news but have confidence he will come out of this mess alright. I believe him to be a highly analytical and detailed businessman who gets and keeps his ducks in a row.
While those of you who say he should have had his inventory in safes at night may have a valid point, I know that with his very limited space despite having a bunch of huge safes, there was no real way to put all of his inventory in big safes every night. They would inevitably become scratch and dent models even if the safe-capacity was sufficient.
I believe he shows a certain level of prudence in what he does do... and that is to prioritize his customer's guns and NFA items are stored in the safes to make sure they are as secure as possible.
I know a lot of larger shops with far more inventory that have far exceeded the possibility of putting their inventory in safes every night....so that seems like a hollow complaint and immature finger-pointing to me. I just wish him the best and will be glad to support him again when they get back in full swing.
BushMasterBoy
04-10-2017, 14:37
Sometimes , I think it is better to hide the guns in the attic, than leave them in the safe.
Sometimes , I think it is better to hide the guns in the attic, than leave them in the safe.
hahaha ok. I do liken that to the "eggs in baskets" analogy and see some merit in hiding a few of them, but in accessible places! not the attic! [Beer]
hahaha ok. I do liken that to the "eggs in baskets" analogy and see some merit in hiding a few of them, but in accessible places! not the attic! [Beer]
I believe he was responding to CapLock's post.
Grant H.
04-10-2017, 18:07
I know a lot of larger shops with far more inventory that have far exceeded the possibility of putting their inventory in safes every night....so that seems like a hollow complaint and immature finger-pointing to me. I just wish him the best and will be glad to support him again when they get back in full swing.
I absolutely wish him the best, and have done business with him, and will again, but I disagree with your assessment of further securing inventory at night.
It's not immature or "hollow complaining". It's rationally addressing how to avoid a crime that is becoming more and more prevalent in the area. Given the store location, construction, and accessibility, taking further steps to avoid a smash and grab theft would have been prudent...
Boiled down, guns aren't really any different than any other retail item. Dealerships don't lock up cars. Actually, I can't really think of any retailer that takes any precautions with their indoor products beyond locking the doors.
I see a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking here. How does anyone know what was stolen and in what quantity?
I went to big5 (120th and near Washington) last Friday. The glass door was boarded up, and display cases were shattered.
I didn't ask if they stole the firearm or not, but employee told me that police caught them on a parking lot.
.455_Hunter
04-10-2017, 19:20
Actually, I can't really think of any retailer that takes any precautions with their indoor products beyond locking the doors.
How about jewelry and precious metal/coin dealers?
I'm not sure. I see large safes inside of jewelry stores, but I can't remember having walked past any after hours that were small enough where you could see the jewelry from the outside. Either way, I bet the entire stock of jewelry or precious metals could fit inside two large duffel bags (not that they could be carried anywhere. That's not a lot of additional space needed to lock it all up at night.
Seems like a display case that can be secured to the floor/wall, and then the guns locked to the case would be the middle ground answer.
ZERO THEORY
04-10-2017, 21:42
I get that it's a pain in the ass to put everything away but I just don't understand leaving firearms out in open sight overnight.
I work Saturdays at a local range/store. We put our stuff away every night, and it takes us well over an hour between that and cleaning the range.
Lo and behold, we got broken into a while back and the thieves got absolute dick from us. We've since beefed up security even more, but the dividends of locking everything away more than paid off. That hour each day is worth the fact that those two minutes didn't result in deaths, audits, or additional headaches.
Aloha_Shooter
04-11-2017, 00:41
John the owner posted this on Facebook.
"Thank you everyone for the well-wishes. We are working through this latest challenge, and we will be back to "normal" in short order. We are not commenting on how many/ or if ANY firearms were taken during the break in. No customers firearms or NFA items were taken, and that is the extent of information that we are comfortable with providing to social media, or the media in general. Please respect that we have a lot of work to do, and would appreciate not having to answer prying questions by those without a need to know. I can tell you that we secure our shop, and our inventory, and also that we have state of the art security and 24 hour surveillance. No, I am not interested in unsolicited advice about how you would handle the situation. Thanks~
Sincerely,
Westminster Arms"
That's a pretty good response and about all he should say in public. I'm sure this is a massive pain in the arse for him even if nothing were taken.
Grant H.
04-11-2017, 09:23
Boiled down, guns aren't really any different than any other retail item. Dealerships don't lock up cars. Actually, I can't really think of any retailer that takes any precautions with their indoor products beyond locking the doors.
High value, easy to carry, easy to move on the street illegally.
Cars? Not really easy to carry, not really easy to move as a stolen item, and they lose a tremendous amount of their perceived value when chopped up.
As Hunter .455 pointed out, Jewelry and Precious metal dealers, that also deal in high value, easy to carry, and easy to sell when stolen, items lock their inventory up beyond just locking the retail store door.
Pot shops... Another prime example. They spend a small fortune on security, including safes to lock up their inventory and cash...
I'm not sure. I see large safes inside of jewelry stores, but I can't remember having walked past any after hours that were small enough where you could see the jewelry from the outside. Either way, I bet the entire stock of jewelry or precious metals could fit inside two large duffel bags (not that they could be carried anywhere. That's not a lot of additional space needed to lock it all up at night.
Seems like a display case that can be secured to the floor/wall, and then the guns locked to the case would be the middle ground answer.
I feel like I am picking on you, and that isn't my intent. I promise.
This isn't the movies, they don't pour the diamonds and jewelry into bags to store it over night. The trays that they display the items in are moved into the safe. So, despite the small nature of the valuable item in the case of a jewelry or precious metal store, they still take large safes to make moving them in and out easier.
Largely, this boils down to the shop owners willingness to risk losing valuable items balanced with their willingness to spend the extra money/energy to further prevent losing said items. Some believe they are secure enough as is, some believe in taking the extra steps to prevent all but the most determined thieves from getting their products.
As someone else said, you can't prevent all thefts, but you can make it take longer than the thieves are comfortable waiting to get their hands on your valuables. This is true in the business sector as well as the private home sector.
I work Saturdays at a local range/store. We put our stuff away every night, and it takes us well over an hour between that and cleaning the range.
Lo and behold, we got broken into a while back and the thieves got absolute dick from us. We've since beefed up security even more, but the dividends of locking everything away more than paid off. That hour each day is worth the fact that those two minutes didn't result in deaths, audits, or additional headaches.
Point and Case, right here.
spqrzilla
04-11-2017, 10:15
You are going to do that which your insurance company makes you do.
High value, easy to carry, easy to move on the street illegally.
Cars? Not really easy to carry, not really easy to move as a stolen item, and they lose a tremendous amount of their perceived value when chopped up.
As Hunter .455 pointed out, Jewelry and Precious metal dealers, that also deal in high value, easy to carry, and easy to sell when stolen, items lock their inventory up beyond just locking the retail store door.
Pot shops... Another prime example. They spend a small fortune on security, including safes to lock up their inventory and cash...
I feel like I am picking on you, and that isn't my intent. I promise.
This isn't the movies, they don't pour the diamonds and jewelry into bags to store it over night. The trays that they display the items in are moved into the safe. So, despite the small nature of the valuable item in the case of a jewelry or precious metal store, they still take large safes to make moving them in and out easier.
Largely, this boils down to the shop owners willingness to risk losing valuable items balanced with their willingness to spend the extra money/energy to further prevent losing said items. Some believe they are secure enough as is, some believe in taking the extra steps to prevent all but the most determined thieves from getting their products.
As someone else said, you can't prevent all thefts, but you can make it take longer than the thieves are comfortable waiting to get their hands on your valuables. This is true in the business sector as well as the private home sector.
Point and Case, right here.
Like I said, not much different than any other retail item.
Rucker61
04-11-2017, 19:30
I remember seeing a comment in an earlier discussion about gun shops and after hours storage where the point was made that moving guns back and forth every morning and night risks damage to firearms, especially those with expensive wood stocks, and if break-ins are rare enough the cost trade-off says to leave the guns in place.
That theory could be changing.
BPTactical
04-12-2017, 06:56
A couple sections of Jersey barrier (that you can get for free) would have prevented the entire issue and this thread would be unnecessary.....
....jus sayin[Coffee]
So sad. I've bought from them before.
SideShow Bob
04-12-2017, 18:44
A couple sections of Jersey barrier (that you can get for free) would have prevented the entire issue and this thread would be unnecessary.....
....jus sayin[Coffee]
But is this allowed by Westies building codes and by the property owners ?
BPTactical
04-12-2017, 19:27
But is this allowed by Westies building codes and by the property owners ?
If not it's movin time...
Is there any chance the silencers that they kept in the glass case was left out the night they were hit?
They said no NFA items or customer's firearms stolen.
Is there any chance the silencers that they kept in the glass case was left out the night they were hit?
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/162322-Westminster-arms-gets-robbed?p=2063985&viewfull=1#post2063985
Great-Kazoo
04-12-2017, 22:45
Is there any chance the silencers that they kept in the glass case was left out the night they were hit?
You didn't read the owners statement, of course not. That's why i linked if from the NFA section where you asked the same question.
jhood001
04-12-2017, 23:03
Boiled down, guns aren't really any different than any other retail item. Dealerships don't lock up cars. Actually, I can't really think of any retailer that takes any precautions with their indoor products beyond locking the doors.
Cars don't kill people, Stu. Moot point.
Hmmm, Google tells me cars kill more people than firearms do.
Carry on.
You didn't read the owners statement, of course not. That's why i linked if from the NFA section where you asked the same question.
Doesn't mean it didn't happen. If they kept the guns out in the cases and on the floor and lost around 300 of them. That was about all that I've seen in there maybe less. It will come out later if it did. They might be in deep doodoo with the ATF right now for it and don't want to broadcast it to the world. The guy or guys that did it are going to be in even deeper shit when they get caught. Good. I hope they resist arrest too.
ZERO THEORY
04-13-2017, 15:36
I remember seeing a comment in an earlier discussion about gun shops and after hours storage where the point was made that moving guns back and forth every morning and night risks damage to firearms, especially those with expensive wood stocks, and if break-ins are rare enough the cost trade-off says to leave the guns in place.
That theory could be changing.
That is a very realistic issue. But at the end of the day, we'd rather deal with the headache of having the 'smith clean up a scratch, or offering a discount than the alternative. It's not worth the guilt of knowing that something could be stolen and used to kill an innocent high schooler in a drive-by, or used on a proprietor in a strong-arm robbery.
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