CAN'T TOUCH THIS?
We all understand that as lawfully armed citizens, we are solely responsible for the security of our firearms. To prevent their theft or unauthorized use. It's not a difficult task. It takes only a measurable amount of thought and simple steps to ensure our firearms remain secure. However, many thousands of armed citizens fail at this responsibility every year. Even those of us whose job it is to enforce the laws concerning firearms and who routinely carry firearms on a daily basis, also fail miserably at their responsibility.
This was not a dark corner or dimly lit street. The residential area was illuminated with dozens of Christmas decorations. Streaming rows of colored lights hung from rooftops. Inflatable snowmen and Father Christmas ornaments adorned the yards. Accent lighting illuminated trees and approaches to the homes along their sidewalks.
The teen was not forced to low-crawl or prowl from one dark shadow to the next in order to approach his preferred target parked in a driveway. Instead, he simply parked his vehicle on the street along the curb. He walked calmly to his target and checked to see if the vehicle was left unsecured by the owner. Of course, it was easy to find one unlocked.
He was in no rush. No attempts to hide or disguise his identity. The teen began removing items of value from inside the vehicle, calmly making multiple trips across the yard to load up his own vehicle with the stolen goods. In just a few minutes, with little effort, he was gone.
What was his reward? A list of items taken from the victim's vehicle would cause anyone in the neighborhood much concern. Some of the more dangerous items included an AR-15 rifle with three loaded high-capacity magazines totaling 90 rounds of ammunition. A 16-round .45 caliber magazine and a Taser with cartridges.
Another lawful gun owner failed at their responsibility to keep their firearms secure. How could this happen? Who would think it was a good idea to store such dangerous items in an unsecured vehicle left parked in a residential driveway? Well, it turns out that even the local police can fail miserably at keeping this responsibility. The victim in this case was a sheriff's deputy. The vehicle he left unsecured was a marked Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office vehicle. The firearm, ammunition, and taser were all property of the Sheriff's Office.
We can blame the 16-year-old, which we should, but in the end, he was doing what thieves do, taking advantage of an opportunity the victim gave him. But what about the victim, the Sheriff's Deputy who left his vehicle unsecured? Who, through his own actions, endangered the citizens of his community by leaving a deadly weapon and ammunition in an unsecured vehicle. What happens to the deputy?
My guess is nothing much. This incident happened in 2017. Fast forward six years to September of 2023 and we see another failure in basic personal responsibilities when it comes to securing their firearms. A Tampa police patrol stopped a vehicle operated by a teen driving without a license. The stop resulted in the recovery of a large bag of marijuana and an AR-15 rifle equipped with a high-capacity magazine and red-dot scope.
Oh, and the weapon, the AR-15 rifle, was one stolen from a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle back in August of 2023. So the lessons that should be learned by the various Florida police agencies seem to go unheeded. If our own police departments, who handle and deal with firearms every day can not be relied upon to properly secure their firearms from criminals, as a society we're all screwed.
So, the lesson to be learned here. Pull your head out of your six and properly secure your firearms and ammunition. That is your number one priority when you decide to become an armed citizen. It's not a mistake to forget, it's negligence, irresponsibility, and stupidity. If you can't call it like it is, I'd suggest defending yourself with a slingshot instead of a firearm.
Keep reading and keep learning.
Take care,
One Eagle
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