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As Super Bowl Nears, Vigilance Urged For Gun Shop Owners

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

ATF Special Agent Kevin Richardson speaks to some of the region’s 1,600 licensed firearms dealers at a seminar in Tampa.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2008

TAMPA - With roughly 1,000 firearms stolen from gun dealers each year in West Central Florida, federal agents want shop owners to be more vigilant in the lead-up to the Super Bowl.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gave a seminar today for some of the region's 1,600 licensed firearms dealers. Among the topics: how burglars break into gun stores.

Through Oct. 31, Florida ranked third nationally in the number of gun-dealer burglaries with 27. Texas was first with 46, and Georgia was second with 34.

Burglars steal about 15,000 guns each year, said Kevin Richardson, a special agent in the bureau's intelligence section.

Mostly, dealers target gun stores or pawnshops. This year, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville are the leading Florida cities for burglaries, Richardson said.

Most stolen weapons were handguns, but burglars also sought rifles, especially military-style rifles such as the AK-47 or SKS.

"They're looking for the high-power guns," Richardson said.

Most burglars broke in through front or back doors, weak spots that should be reinforced, Richardson said.

Other common areas of entry were the sides of buildings or roofs.

Burglars are becoming more sophisticated. A group that operated out of the Miami area cased not only a store, but also police- shift changes. They used two stolen vehicles, one to crash through the front of the store as police where changing shifts, Richardson said. They spent three minutes inside. If police gave chase, the vehicle without the stolen weapons went a different direction as a decoy.

Richardson said dealers should be suspicious of customers who act oddly, especially leading up to the Super Bowl, which is scheduled for Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium.

"If you see something that doesn't feel right, don't sit back and say you don't want to be a nuisance," he said. "Please make the call, and we'll follow up."

Another common avenue for guns to get into hands illegally is a "straw purchase," said Paul Canup, special agent. This is when someone who can legally buy a gun purchases it for someone who can't, such as a felon.

"It's one of the ways bad guys get guns," Canup said. "We want to educate dealers that they can call us and can stop the transaction."

The bureau conducted the seminar because an event as significant as the Super Bowl brings heightened vigilance, said Jean Zabel, an ATF area supervisor.

"This is to remind them to be more vigilant between now and the Super Bowl," she said. "They're our eyes and ears on the street. They know when something is wrong."

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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