My neighbor's car was ransacked by a thief last night while they slept.

[Mr.Bill]

I live in a senior mobile home park. I've lived here five years and crime is unheard of. This neighbor lives two spaces away from me. Their car was unlocked, as mine usually is, but it will be locked in the future.

A little bit about my neighbor. He's been living here about two years. I don't know him well, but we speak and greet each other when seen. He's sort of a biker type, still works as a cook at a restaurant nearby. He had a small Trump sign in his window that came down shortly after the election. We have never discussed politics. When you live close to each other in a mobile home park, it's best to stay on good terms with your neighbors.

He has signs on his gates and doors that are gun oriented. Things like "There is nothing in this house worth dying for" with a picture of a gun pointed at you. "These premises protected by Smith & Wesson" you get the picture. They have a professionally trained German Shepard guard dog who is well behaved and slept through the whole incident.

They woke up to find their car with all four doors opened and completely ransacked. Only thing missing was a small pocket knife from the glove box.

My take on the situation. You know what the thief was looking for? Guns. I literally believe that the guy who advertised his guns brought crime to the neighborhood, albeit unintentionally.

[Throck]

1. He's lucky they didn't steal the dog.

[Sherman A1]

2. Not surprising at all, this goes on pretty much everywhere

It is a crime of opportunity. Yes, they are looking for guns, but also for anything else of value. The local police department has had an ongoing campaign to remind folks to lock their car doors at night and remove valuables from vehicles. They call it the 9pm routine.

[Mr.Bill]

5. You are correct.

But this particular space was quite aways from the gate of a well fenced senior mobile home park. Other spaces would have allowed a quicker way out if discovered. May whoever did it knows the guy. He didn't leave a gun in the car but maybe he sometimes does and the thief knew it.

[haele]

3. Probably someone who had been in the park previously

Either to visit, work, or make a delivery.
An idiot who advertises that S/he has guns, guns guns is going to get burglarized. Especially if they imply they keep a gun close at all times.
I wouldn't doubt whomever went through to that car figured it was a good chance there would be a gun in the car, with all those "I'm gonna shoot you" posters.
When my truck was stolen with only 1/2 gallon of gas in it several decades ago, they stripped whatever they could get quick money for after they rolled into the shoulder.
So the thief was looking for something specific, if nothing but a potential weapon was taken.

Harle

[Mariana]

4. "You know what the thief was looking for? Guns."

You're probably right. Plenty of gun owners keep a gun or two in their cars, and of course thieves know this.

Now that you know there's a thief operating in the area, it might not be a bad idea to install some cameras around your place, with at least one covering your car.

[Raine]

6. I'm in a burb of Los Angeles County and cars

are continually get broken into (literally) in people's driveways. This area used to be really safe but crime has gotten so much worse since the pandemic.

[Hortensis]

7. Agree probably guns, plus associating with the perp(s) in some way or degree.

Hopefully he/they found it unrewarding and won't be back. Maybe put up a sign warning thieves to beware your own killer VCR player, though. Lol for the dog, but that's the kind I like around.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. Happens every night in my neighborhood.

People have learned to always take important things into the house and lock their car doors.

Theives here in KCMO steal anything that's not locked down

They also steal catalytic converters and trucks and trailers.

If there is a gun it's gone.

[Runningdawg]

9. Most likely kids. Adult thieves would have taken the whole car and searched it elsewhere.

[brush]

10. Happens in my neighborhood too. It's gated and supposed to be safe...

but in the early morning hours too often groups of teenage boys walk down the streets and check the doors on cars and if they find one unlocked, they ransack it to see what they can steal. Quite often it's guns.

It steal amazes me that people leave their cars unlocked and outside instead of in their garage.

The community has a web site and homeowners who have video cameras on their houses or doors put up the videos to see if anyone recognizes the thugs. And the thieves are mostly white teenagers, not Black or POC who usually get the blame for such crimes.

[barbtries]

11. i don't know.

Around where i live thieves regularly walk around in the wee hours trying every car door they encounter and steal whatever's inside if the car is not locked. A few years ago my dog sitter was ripped off this way. She thought the car was locked but it wasn't. I tend to doubt if your neighbor was specifically targeted.

not that they wouldn't steal a gun if they found one in an unlocked car. my dog sitter lost her work uniforms.

[hunter]

12. Yep. Don't advertise your guns if you've got 'em.

Around here that's really the only thing the little gangsters are interested in.

They've already got drugs and Playstations and they're not likely to find much cash, gold, or diamond jewelry in this neighborhood.

Most commonly I lose tools if I leave them out front unsupervised, usually if I'm working on my cars or gardening and I have to go inside for something.

I once lost a box of Christmas lights. I was getting ready to set them out when I heard the phone ring and went inside to answer it. When I went back out the box of lights was gone.

Who the hell steals Christmas lights?

It was just a few weeks ago someone last went through my car. Fortunately they didn't break any windows, maybe because the doors were unlocked. Broken windows DO piss me off.

Years ago someone broke into one of our cars but they didn't take anything. Instead they left a flashlight and a book of postage stamps which they'd probably stolen from a neighbors car'. I suspect I interrupted the thief when, thinking the noise was raccoons in the trash again, I yelled at our dogs in my most authoritative voice to shut the fuck up.

Our dogs are always alert for the four-legged variety of masked bandits. They hate raccoons and turn into snarling monsters whenever they see them, even when they simply smell them. Their opinion of coyotes is similar, but the coyotes are not so brazen as the raccoons. The raccoons will sometimes just look at you when you try to chase them off.

But maybe our dogs are not so good at recognizing bad people. The husky would invite anyone into the house.

"Kind stranger, could I trouble you to open the refrigerator and get me some cheese?"

It's the dragon any would-be burglar should worry about. I've found half digested guns in his poop.

We don't even talk about Doug around here. Beware of Doug. Which is one of the great The Far Side cartoons because it's true.

[gldstwmn]

17. One of our dogs goes absolutely crazy when he sees horses.

It didn't help that our neighbor rode hers down the street during the lock down last year. He was so confused and upset.

[Treefrog]

13. So it's your neighbor's fault his car was burgled?

Happened to me in an upscale neighborhood some years ago. No guns signs anywhere around my place or anyone else’s.

[Mr.Bill]

14. Nope,

but it might be why it whappened to him and not me.

[Treefrog]

15. I guess that could be, but must be an exceptionally stupid burglar.

If I were one, I don’t think I’d pick the gun humper’s house.

As someone else said, most likely kids ransacking…it’s happening in a nearby neighborhood adjacent to mine recently- they look for unlocked cars. Doubt they’re reading signs.

At any rate, best lock your car from now on.

[gldstwmn]

16. Both of our cars have been broken into in the driveway.

We live in a nice neighborhood. Last week we were woken by our doorbell and car alarm. The lady down the street had run uphill to our house in her nightgown after she caught someone trying to steal her large pickup and the thieves brazenly drove up the street and tried to steal our other neighbors heavy duty dually pickup. She thought it was ours. They had already smashed the back window out setting off the alarm before driving off in another pickup with no plates. This ring has been operating all over the Denver metro area for the last several years without being caught. They still managed to steal another truck in the area that night.
Our house has NRA stickers on the door from the previous owner. We just never took them off. It's weird knowing someone was out the prowling around while we slept. I'm glad my neighbor didn't really engage them. There's no telling what cornered thieves will do.

[Johnny2X2X]

18. They were looking for guns!

I’ll just say this, I used to associate with criminals. Wasn’t a criminal myself, but I knew guys who did all kinds of things.

And there is a 99% chance those signs attracted the burglars. Guns are the same as cash or drugs on the street. Now they should be aware that they’ll probably be back, they want their guns. They’ll wait until they think no one is home though.

I knew guys who stole guns from houses, they had dozens of them. They would target homes with NRA stickers or anything that made them think there were guns there. Show up during the day and knock on the door for a bit, of no one answers then you find a way in. Everyone hides their guns in the same spots, under the bed, behind a night stand, in a closet. It was easy pickings for them.

Guns make your home a target. But they also make the break more likely to occur when you aren’t home.

[Mr.Bill]

19. Update.

Never said anything to them about the gun signs, but this morning walking the dogs I noticed all the gun signs were taken down. This afternoon walked to the mailbox, two new signs, Both say BEWARE OF DOG.