Posted on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 12:54 p.m.
10 guns stolen from Webster Township storage barn
By Kyle Feldscher
Ten hunting guns were reported stolen from a storage barn in the 7000 block of North Territorial Road in Webster Township Tuesday, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office.
According to police, 3 hunting rifles, 4 hunting shotguns and 3 hunting muzzleloaders were stolen from the barn at an unknown time. The victim did not have any possible suspects, according to police.
Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies are continuing their investigation of the theft. No further information on the incident was available Wednesday morning.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Gordon
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 1:31 p.m.
Factually 10 guns were stolen. How they were stolen is part of an investigation. Putting the info out quickly alerts people who maybe approached to buy said guns. I think early factual reporting is part of the public service news organizations provide. It's a reasonable descripion of the items. I would suspect people who had an opportunity to know the guns were in the barn. Whether they were locked up or not for the purpose of informing the public isn't necessary. It becomes more of an insurance question if they were insured and a question of common sense if they were not locked up. It's as likely who stole the guns doesn't understand hw difficult and dangerous it is to sell them.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 4:55 p.m.
.. and how hard it will be to sell muzzle-loaders without looking suspicious. I'm guessing these guys don't exactly look like your typical muzzle-loader hunter.
KJMClark
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 11:55 a.m.
Did they steal anything else? How did they get in? Too bad there wasn't more information available. Actually, if there isn't information on how they got in, I personally would rather AA.com wait a bit longer to run the story. I expect things to get ripped off these days (see Richard Kinsey's column this morning). But I want to know how to keep *my* stuff from getting stolen.
RJA
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 1:18 a.m.
Ten more guns on the streets, from a storage barn? Locked or un-locked, they are gone. Desperate people out there.
grye
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:38 p.m.
Probably some deer or other wild animals going after what they consider to be weapons of mass destruction.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.
<a href="http://www.crunkcodes.com/media/4/eca40a3e4c9bef388c0ea38bb91c03b4.jpg" rel='nofollow'>http://www.crunkcodes.com/media/4/eca40a3e4c9bef388c0ea38bb91c03b4.jpg</a>
obviouscomment
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:24 p.m.
were they locked up?
Ricebrnr
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 8:52 p.m.
and as an interesting side exercise. Let's count the number of stories just in the last 7 days that mention either guns or cars. Even better let's count how many stories of death by those implements.. Want to extrapolate that out to FBI and CDC statistics? Yah thought so. Facts trump your failed arguments.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
@Oak.... so, your logic (fallacy, that is) goes like this: If a person owns an item that is typically used in a crime and (or is it "or" or "and/or") is frequently present in criminal activity, and he doesn't lock it up, then he is at fault for the actions of somebody who steals it from him and uses it in a crime. As ricebrnr pointed out, cars are typically used in a crime, and they are frequently present in criminal activity. So, if somebody steals your unlocked car and uses it in a crime, then you would willingly and expeditiously dispatch yourself to the ugly, new Justice Center for the purpose of accepting responsibility for that crime? You certainly would, because it simply follows from your own reasoning asserted here. And your description of the intended purpose of a gun is incorrect. They are designed to be discharged at people in self defense or sanctioned law enforcement activities, or to kill animals. But no, they are not designed for the naively-simplified purpose of "kill a living being."
Ricebrnr
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 2:46 p.m.
Yep about dang time we register and/or ban croquet mallets... <a href="http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/smallwood690.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/smallwood690.htm</a> <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,851771,00.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,851771,00.html</a> <a href="http://www.nkyviews.com/gallatin/text/croquet_murder.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.nkyviews.com/gallatin/text/croquet_murder.htm</a> <a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2000-09-14/news/17660617_1_baseball-bat-beatings-youths" rel='nofollow'>http://articles.sfgate.com/2000-09-14/news/17660617_1_baseball-bat-beatings-youths</a> Have you secured yours? Otherwise you should be prosecuted as criminally negligent if not aiding and abetting, co-conspirator and whatever else can be thrown at you....right?
clownfish
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 11:25 a.m.
Soon to be issued to local police units: croquet mallet proof vests.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 2:16 a.m.
Wow silly rabbit, those things ARE prohibitted from criminals. Hey criminals steal things that they can not otherwise have. Be it because they are not allowed or because they can not afford them. Like I said, they steal cars and specifically to commit crimes with. They do the same for ID, credit cards, computers and all sorts of other things including drugs/medication. I'll be waiting with baited breath for your and similar comments in other crime victim's stories.
Laurie Burg
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 1:30 a.m.
@Charlie Brown. Gosh, you aren't one of those gun militants from Democratic Underground are you? You're drinking the same Kool-Aid! None of the items you listed are prohibited to persons who have committed felonies or gun violence. None of them are prohibited to persons under 18. All of the items you listed are easily available to the general public for purchase. There are no licenses, background checks, or other regulations regarding their purchase, possession, purpose and use. While they may be used for crimes, they are generally (dare I say never?) stolen from others for use in a later crime or for fencing, trading for drugs, etc. You hear of a lot of break-ins where croquet mallets are stolen and then used to kill someone? In your neighborhood, do people steal baseball bats and sell them on the black market to a convicted felon who is not allowed to possess one? Silly rabbit, your analogies fail.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 : 12:39 a.m.
How about cars? They are stolen and used in crimes all the time. Oh wait hey were designed for other things than killing... Yet they do a stupendous job of that every day, more than the objects that supposedly are only good for killing. Waiting for you to comment similarly in every car theft story from now on.
Oak2Arbor
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.
@Charlie Brown's Ghost; The items you mentioned are not typically used during the commission of a crime. They have other non-lethal, intended purposes. Firearms have but one purpose - to kill a living being. And they are frequently present in criminal activity.
kmgeb2000
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 8:31 p.m.
@EyeHeartA2: It is very revelant if they were taken to sell for heroin. A co-workers home was broken into twice on North Terr. for this very purpose. At least that is what the sherriff indicated. I know two other incidents that follow this approach. Bust a window, grab what is handy (and valuable), jump on I-94 to the nearest pawn shop - their next fix has just been secured. That being said being locked up may not have stopped them, but it may have been enought to disuade them.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
Oak2Arbor... I don't have my baseball bats locked up at home. Does that mean I would be responsible if somebody steals them from me and commits a crime with them? How about my croquet mallets, because they're not locked up either. Oh, no, my hammers sitting out on my workbench! How irresponsible of me. There's also several feet of rope in my garage. I guess I'd better go lock that up before somebody steals it and strangles somebody with it because I'd be responsible for their death.
Oak2Arbor
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 7:29 p.m.
@ obviouscomment; That was my first question, too. Seems too often we hear of unsecured firearms stolen. It is certainly possible these guns will be used in the commission of a crime, possibly causing injury or death to an innocent person. All because the gunowner was irresponsible in storing them.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:53 p.m.
Agree, EyeHeartA2. It's clear where that line of questioning was going. Next to a grabbed gun, the best thing is a locked-up gun.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:25 p.m.
This comment ranks right up there with: "Was she wearing provokative clothing?"
John of Saline
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
Huh. The muzzleloaders in particular won't be of much use to anyone except avid hunters. I suppose the shotguns could be redirected to criminal activity most easily, but the others won't be, and might be hard to sell if the serial numbers are reported as stolen.