Rifle stolen from marked Oregon State Police car
LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the theft of a semi-automatic rifle from a marked Oregon State Police car.
The Observer newspaper reports the theft occurred last week in the Eastern Oregon city of La Grande.
The car was parked at the home of a trooper when someone smashed a window and took the firearm that had been in a mounted locked bracket.
State and La Grande police investigated the theft, and a team from the OSP Crime Lab in Pendleton assisted.
La Grande police Sgt. Gary Bell says it's extremely rare for a marked police vehicle to be the target of a break-in.
The Observer newspaper reports the theft occurred last week in the Eastern Oregon city of La Grande.
The car was parked at the home of a trooper when someone smashed a window and took the firearm that had been in a mounted locked bracket.
State and La Grande police investigated the theft, and a team from the OSP Crime Lab in Pendleton assisted.
La Grande police Sgt. Gary Bell says it's extremely rare for a marked police vehicle to be the target of a break-in.
My, My, My. That's too bad for the officer. If all the gun laws pass, and that rifle is used in a crime, then the officer IS going down the river with the criminal, because he failed to lock his gun up. Funny how these "grand new laws" come back to bite you in the ass, huh???
@myopinion240Â Barrett and a lot of the other manufacturers are refusing to sell to LEOs due to the new inevitable civil liabilities involved when a cop uses their product.
For people who don't know what I'm talking about, there are laws on the book in some states that would make the ammunition manufacturer vulnerable to civil and criminal penalties if a cop uses that brand of ammunition to shoot somebody.Â
maybe now they'll take the reports of car prowlers more seriously
Why is this cop still employed? Â
Replace every other one with a Nerf gun lookalike. Â Then Clints words will take on another angle, am getting lead or foam?
After reading this I went out to my truck and removed my thermo nuclear detonators.
Way to go Chief Wiggum. Good luck buying a new one. Oh wait they will just use a drone.Â
I wonder if the Officer was home at the time? If he was home then why did he not hear the window being broken? If he was not home then why was the weapon left in the car?? I want to know what they are using to lock up thier weapons with? Tin?
Was is an AR that was ripped off? Oh my gosh, evacuate the streets, lock the doors, hide under your bed until the all clear is sounded.
Wow, it's not that easy to steal. The weapon was most likely in a gun lock, with a secret button somewhere to release the lock. Unless you know where the button is, it could take some time to find. Inside job???
I'm sure the button was inside! LOL
Ginny Burdick should pass another law making it a crime to steal. Â That will stop them!
It sounds like the police should heed their advice to the public! Don't leave valuables in the car! At least not visible!
@Freedom1267 Do cop cars not have car alarms???
The criminal is responsible, to be sure, but leaving a firearm or other valuables in a vehicle is considered contributory negligence.
I don't know if this has been said yet but dang.....talk about Balls Of Steel ! or mind of meth ? eeghhh probably both.
This is a good response to Obummers gun control! LOL
This comment has been deleted
This comment has been deleted
@feral @poodlem No, thats spam.
*Sigh*....
I never, ever left any weapons in my takehome patrol vehicle while it was parked in the driveway! Not even in the trunk. If someone wanted the patrol vehicle bad enough for a joy ride, whatever was inside was probably useless to the clueless individual that took anything. It is kind of ironic that we always tell people not to leave anything in plain sight inside a vehicle, and then this happens.
Didn't WSP lose a couple of these a while back? I don't recall ever hearing if they were recovered or not.
In any case, The OSP trooper or two that live in my hood don't ever seem to leave their long guns in their cars, or at least within view.Â
IMHO being in the car and in its locked access rack would be reasonable safety to me. Perhaps they need a better way of securing it in the car.
How about some burglar alarms?
@oodathunked Alarms are useless, how many times a day do you hear an alarm going off and think would you shut that thing off? Alarms have become so common in cars that people ignore them.
Yeah, but think of the irony.
What's the big deal, I'm sure they have plenty more, just get another one.
This comment has been deleted
I notice a whole lot of people on here are quick to blame the cop. Â Yet not many are placing the blame on the criminal scumbag that has now broken several laws. Â Lets place the blame where it belongs on the piece of trash that broke the law. Â
@Jeremy The same thing could be said of blaming a person that commits a shooting, but no, let's just ban all guns is the liberals cry.
@Jeremy 3 is "a whole lot of people"?
@JTesla Stop blaming the cops JTelsa.
@JTesla I often blame myself for things I didn't do, but I thought I did.
@TreeWizard I now blame TreeWizard.
@Jeremy By the same token, if you left $1200 in cash on the dash of your car and the windows got smashed, wouldn't you share equal blame?  I'd say so.
My firearms live in a 1000 lb floor safe in front of a monitored motion detector. Â Unless they are on my belt, concealed, or cased up and headed out to the range with me. Â Leaving firearms in plain sight, even in a locked car, is rather irresponsible, IMHO. Â Look I strongly support LEO's and the military, but they have tremendous responsibility and this seems lacking in this case.
@'CouvGuy@Jeremy "By the same token, if you left $1200 in cash on the dash of your car and the windows got smashed, wouldn't you share equal blame"
NO!  If I steal your car stereo, your money, your wheel covers--regardless of what it's worth--it's not your fault. It's not the victim's fault.
@'CouvGuy@Playanekes@Jeremy I was responding directly to the comment "By the same token, if you left $1200 in cash on the dash of your car and the windows got smashed, wouldn't you share equal blame?"
You don't need a federal background check to have $1200 in cash, but, you're not to BLAME if somebody steals your property.Â
@Playanekes @'CouvGuy @Jeremy You can buy a stereo, wheel covers, etc. lots of places without a federal background check. IMHO an AR ups the ante, so to speak.  JMHO....
I keep my guns encased in 6ft of concrete in a trench I dug out in the woods. Nobody is gonna be stealing them.
@Oregon7812Â In order to steal mine you will have to do a full cavity search.
@'CouvGuy @Jeremy Take it easy on the tinfoil,  not everyone has such extreme measures to protect a few simple firearms.
Putting blame on the victim because a CRIMINAL broke the law does not make the officer at fault for anything. Â The criminal is always responseable for the crime they commit. Â It's never the victims fault, they didn't break the law.
"My firearms live in a 1000 lb floor safe in front of a monitored motion detector" Â Straight up overkill unless your hiding something in your home that shouldn't be there legally. Â Sounds like the measures a grow house takes to prevent robbery.
"I strongly support LEO's and the military, but they have tremendous responsibility and this seems lacking in this case." Â Â Â The officers firearm was in a locked mounted bracket inside his patrol car. Â WHERE IT SHOULD BE. Â You have ZERO support for this officer, your just using this opportunity to brag about your overzealous gun safe.
@Silver Surfer @'CouvGuy @Jeremy I have plenty of support for LEO's and the military.  You don't know who I am, what I do, nor what my sons do for a living.  You assume far, far too much.  What I find troubling is your statement; "....Straight up overkill unless your hiding something in your home that shouldn't be there legally....".  Guess you hadn't heard that people with firearms actually get them stolen from time to time, which fuels much criminal activity.  Owning firearms within established laws is indeed a right, but it's a right that I take seriously.  Which, more people should.  If you want to call that overkill and overzealous, by all means, party on.
My question is..... how would  the recently proposed  new gun laws  have prevented this criminal from obtaining  a gun?
The strictest background check would NOT have helped, Â background checks at gun shows would have not prevented this, Â banning assault style rifles would have not stopped this Â
Bottom line, Â criminals don't give a rats ass about gun laws and stricter gun laws will not prevent thugs from getting guns.Â
@kramr So are you suggesting that background checks should not be done? I do believe the idea is to make it more difficult for criminals to get guns not the other way around.
@hokeywolf @kramr So are you suggesting that this criminal did a back ground check before he was allowed to steal the M1 out of the police car???
This comment has been deleted
@Oregon7812Â HIPPA. hippapotamus.
What's "HIPPA"?
@feral @hokeywolf @kramr I think they can if they feel they are a threat to others.
@hokeywolf @kramr It won't make it more difficult though.
@Oregon7812 I think you would be amazed at what one can get from the Black Market. If you have enough $$$ you can buy a Tank to a R.P.G. No back Ground checks needed. All you need to do is have the $$$. Laws only keep the Law Bidding Citz. from having guns. The Criminals will get them any way they can. Just like this story. This rifle was stolen, so tell me how a New Law kept this rifle out of a criminals hand????
@Sundowner @TreeWizard @Oregon7812 two main ways, are corrupt dealers and straw purchaser. Both happen to already be illegal.
@Sundowner@TreeWizard@Oregon7812 "..if there were stiff penalties for both the buyer and seller for not conducting background checks,"
....they'll just steal them from the police.
@TreeWizard @Oregon7812 Soooo....how are criminals getting guns if not through theft?  Are they purchasing them?  Hmmmm....if there were stiff penalties for both the buyer and seller for not conducting background checks, do you think eventually Cousin Larry might think twice before selling a handgun to his high school buddy who just got out of prison?  Good Ol' Cousin Larry, just trying to make sure his old meth buddy can have a little somethin' for self-protection.
@Oregon7812Â "The ONLY way they'll be able to get guns is through theft." That is not true Padre. Stealing accounts for a small fraction of criminal arms.
Yes, it will make it more difficult. The ONLY way they'll be able to get guns is through theft, and as long as there are less dumbasses around who leave them sitting out, it should help.
This comment has been deleted
@Dr. Rawdog @kramr  """"""By the same token, why do so many people want to see stiffer penalties for drunk driving?""""""
First off, with your logic is inconsistent......with guns you want to make it tougher for people to acquire guns but no difference in punishing the humans.  But with drunk drivers you are talking about punishing the human, not making it at all any more difficult to acquire a  vehicle. Â
@Dr. Rawdog @kramr  OK,  I'll say it real slow this time....
 Your solution to  preventing  mass killings is  focused  on the tool of choice  for the killings and  not tougher punishment for  the lunatic pulling the trigger.
This is the complete opposite in how people want to punish drunk drivers who kill  someone.  With drunk driving the punishment is  focused on the human side  of the equation and not the tool (vehicle)Â
meaning  I'd bet you'd carry a sign that said "guns kill people"  and a gun control rally......... but might feel a little stupid carrying a sign that said " cars kill people" at an anti drunk driving  rally.Â
So comparing stricter control  to punishment for drunk drivers is a  apples and concrete comparison. The  gun control crowd is focusing on the hardware side of the equation while the punishment for drunk drivers focuses on the human side of the equation.  Therefore comparing them is not appropriate  basically because there are at least TWICE as many deaths by drunk drivers than  guns killing humans each year and the politicians really don't give a rats ass about it.Â
@Dr. Rawdog @kramr Because drunks kill more people every year than guns. But you don't need a background check to get booze or a car.
@Dr. Rawdog@Jeremy@kramr
"To use a car in this country, you need a license."
No you don't. You can get a learner's permit, or you can drive on a private course.
"To drink you need the state's consent."
Guess you're not familiar with home brewing or distillation.
Your zero for two here.
@Jeremy @Dr. Rawdog @kramr Just like how the death penalty has dissuaded so many people from killing another.
@Dr. Rawdog @Jeremy @kramr I don't need the state's consent to drink.