INDIANAPOLIS–More than 200 guns have been stolen in Indianapolis.
IMPD says the gun thefts started a couple of weeks ago. Some of the guns are considered “high-powered rifles.” WISH-TV says two of the rifles are valued at $4,800 each. Those were stolen from a warehouse on South Tibbs Avenue.
Greg Burge, the owner of Beech Grove Firearms, says gun dealers are not given alerts from local or federal agencies when firearms are stolen.
“They know all of these guns have been stolen. They are making no public information. They are not notifying the dealers at all and, again, I don’t know what guns. I can only guess that many guns are traveling everywhere. In my opinion, it is a grave concern for so many levels. It is a public safety concern,” said Burge to WISH-TV.
Burge says a delivery driver recently stole two boxes of firearm accessories that were supposed to have been delivered to his shop. The driver forged a signature and kept two boxes in the delivery truck. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating.
The owner of the gun shop and range says when firearms are shipped the seller tracks the serial numbers. The ATF requires federally registered firearms dealers to account for every firearm they buy and sell. Burge and other federally registered dealers are not given a way to check firearm serial numbers to verify if a gun has been stolen or not. However, pawn shops have that ability.
“You bring in a firearm into a pawn store, they are going to enter it in a government database and they are going to be told ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ so it helps. We do not have access to that program, nor is it required,” said WISH-TV.
