Warning: Tagging Gun Owners


DWC

New member
Warning: Tagging Gun Owners
Posted on January 4, 2012 by Georgetown PD

Gun lovers public service announcement: While I was in a Texas gun store today, my car was tagged on the wheel in the parking lot. The gangs do this on wheels or bumpers at gun stores, shooting ranges, gun shows etc. Later when you are parked at a restaurant, hotel, or other location that’s less well guarded or under video surveillance, other gang members spot the marker and break into the car for a quick gun grab. This is so RAMPANT in San Antonio where we were for a National shoot this summer, the Sheriff of Bexar County came out to brief the 400 participants of our competition. Too bad three teams had already been victimized the first day. This is the first I’ve heard of this in Texas. Please pass this info along to your 2nd amendment list. Daily check you car, truck or motor home for unusual painted dots, marks, check marks or other strange looking symbols that are not normal to your type vehicle. It could prevent you from being a victim of robbery, or even save your life if you catch the thief in the act.
This next comment from a Gun Site instructor:
I don’t know how widespread this is becoming, but the info regarding the NSCA Nationals in San Antonio is correct, as all of us who compete in sporting clays know. Competitors there were having their vehicles marked with a small adhesive dot on the rear license plate or rear bumper, then followed for miles and having their vehicles quickly and efficiently broken in to when parked for lunch etc.
Some crews were working the parking lot at the Nationals itself. 27 high end shotguns were taken there recently. They know when 1400 shooters with high $$ competition guns are in town.
BTW I shot with a young man who was trying out a new gun at the Nationals. He and his father lost all their guns and equipment while making a quick stop for lunch at a BBQ place in Corpus Christi the month before.
 

Tagged

It seems like it should be fairly easy to catch such thieves. Also a very good reason to carry a concealed weapon. The best thing to do is pay attention to your surroundings, your vehicle and your weapons, making sure doors are locked and you have good insurance good ammo & a good lawyer.
 
The parking enforcement division of a local police department does the same thing: they mark tires with colored chalk to note when you parked in a certain time-limited spot (2 hour parking, etc.), then cite you if the chalk color indicates you've been there more than the allotted time.

I'm not discounting your warning, just giving a somewhat legitimate reason someone might do something similar.
 
The parking enforcement division of a local police department does the same thing: they mark tires with colored chalk to note when you parked in a certain time-limited spot (2 hour parking, etc.), then cite you if the chalk color indicates you've been there more than the allotted time.

I'm not discounting your warning, just giving a somewhat legitimate reason someone might do something similar.
Difference is the marks for parking are on the face of the tire and are wiped off as soon as you move your car.
 
Police parking enforcement officers use chalk, not paint, to mark tires for parking enforcement. My grandfather was a motor officer in Indianapolis, IN in the 20s and 30s, and they used blue chalk then, and the last I heard, they still do. Police arrest or cite people for marking a car with paint, for tampering with a Means of Transportation. This was good information to know.
 
Good 'Intel'. Thanks for heads up. We travel the fascinating diversity of Texas often on touring. Texas feels safer than many 'gun free' states so we really enjoy being among armed citizens. Nice to know that backup is nearby and officers are better educated about the 'legally' CC Citizens.. We sleep well in the great State Parks, of which there are over 100. Fishing permitted from shore 'without buying a license', is a fun perk in Texas State Parks :>)
 
If I wasn't afraid of someone innocent getting hurt, I would rig a old car, so when they attempted to break in they got blown to hell....... I bet they would never steal another gun..........
 
I am always skeptical of stories that do not list an actual person, name and title. Also, there does not seem to be any news stories about reports of such thefts.

Most police press releases, name the PIO that releases the info and have a contact number for more inforamtion.

This could be another urban legend, if not can someone please link actual news stories or police bulletins.
 
The parking enforcement division of a local police department does the same thing: they mark tires with colored chalk to note when you parked in a certain time-limited spot (2 hour parking, etc.), then cite you if the chalk color indicates you've been there more than the allotted time.

I'm not discounting your warning, just giving a somewhat legitimate reason someone might do something similar.

Police here used to do that at bars then set up for dui busts
 
I am always skeptical of stories that do not list an actual person, name and title. Also, there does not seem to be any news stories about reports of such thefts.

Most police press releases, name the PIO that releases the info and have a contact number for more inforamtion.

This could be another urban legend, if not can someone please link actual news stories or police bulletins.

Actually covered in a few of the competition magazines with articles written by the victims, and there have been local news stories. Its not an urban legend, its real.
 
I can see this taking place. In Des Moines, Iowa. The newspaper listed the people who had received there gun permits, when the law changed. 21 homes were broken into and would you like to guess what was stolen. they solved this rather fast and young adults were involved and that doesn't matter. It seems where there are guns, the criminals are somewhere close at hand. Thanks for the info.
 
Thanks for the heads-up. I traval to San Antonio offten to visit my daughter and son in-law (both in the AF) I have not bee aware of this happening but then again I never leave a wepon in my car for any reason. I will let my kiddos know though.
 
Tagging

I am a criminal defense attorney in Michigan. I don't know about tagging, but I have represented clients who followed cars from gun shows and broke into them in restaurant or hotel parking lots. It happens.
 
Sorry, can't find anything on tagging vehicles to steal items in the news. How ever, I do remember hearing about it while taking criminal justice classes about 10 years ago. Not just firearms, but also tagging vehicles of people who, say, park in front of a jewelry store, SCUBA store, or any other place that sells high priced items. In some cases they would use a dot marker, similar to one at a BINGO hall, but that is ultraviolet. They tell the other gang members where it parked that night and then use a UV light to check that it's the right vic. Again, can't find ANYTHING except for other forums out there, but I know I've heard of this for at least 10 years, the first time from actual police officers.
 

This post was placed at 6:41 pm on 1/16. One post followed that within just a couple of minutes, and that poster would likely not have seen the above post before making his/hers, but the next post after that was about an hour and a half later, and several posts since then has been made as though there's no valid suspicion of the tagging story being a hoax. Does anybody read links around here? The link goes to the gun club that is the main subject of the story, and they say that the Sheriff quoted in the OP's story never delivered the warnings attributed to him. They say that they teamed up with local LE and conducted their own investigation, and found no validity to the story that has proliferated and gone viral in recent weeks (maybe months, I didn't check the date of the link).

I'm not slamming the OP or anything. It sounds believable at first blush, and I can envision some variation of the plot being perpetrated by some thieves somewhere, but it appears from that link, that this particular story is a hoax. It doesn't invalidate all the good advice being offered about being careful where you park, know your surroundings, always lock your weapons in the most secure compartment of the vehicle you drive etc., but it's hardly a "great heads up" if the story is a hoax.

Blues
 
Defense Attorney

I am a criminal defense attorney in Michigan. I don't know about tagging, but I have represented clients who followed cars from gun shows and broke into them in restaurant or hotel parking lots. It happens.

I am hoping you went ahead and let them go on to prison didn't you? We really don't need that kind of scum lurking around the gun shows waiting for their
victim to fund their next meth purchase.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
49,544
Messages
611,263
Members
74,964
Latest member
sigsag1
Back
Top