In Colorado, immigrant gangs used kids between the ages of 12 and 17 to rob eight gun stores, but some of the incidents didn't go as planned thanks to proactive measures taken by store owners.
In a recent robbery in Colorado Springs, young thieves stole a car and crashed it into a gun store, entering the store and attempting to steal guns from the shelves.
In the Aug. 8 incident, thieves crashed into the store in a stolen vehicle, stealing 13 guns and leaving about $65,000 in damage.
“They broke through a wall, climbed over the hood of a car and ran into the store,” said Steven Kinder, general manager of Spartan Defense and Training. said KDVR-TV.
Similar robberies occurred at four gun stores near Denver between July and August, and in all cases police identified suspects, the perpetrators were minors.
In the case of Spartan Defense and Training, the perpetrators stole several AK-47 and Glock pistols and ammunition.
However, the Spartan robbery was only the first crime committed by the same group that night. The same group of juveniles also tried to break into DCF Guns in Colorado Springs using the same stolen car. However, they were unable to enter the store because the owner had installed a double entrance system as a security measure, and the car could only get through the first entrance.
This method of breaking into gun stores has been used in at least eight attempted robberies of gun stores in the area this year.
Fortunately, in many cases, thieves haven't been able to steal as many guns because store owners have gotten together and started encouraging each other to put most of their guns away in large gun safes each night, rather than leaving them on store shelves overnight.
By storing guns in a safe each night, the number of guns stolen is kept much lower than it would be otherwise.
The problem with these robberies is the age of the perpetrators, who police say are often minors.
“From what police have told us so far, they've made several arrests, the majority of them under the age of 13 or 14. The 18-year-old was essentially on the run, but at this point we believe he is gang-associated,” Spartan owner Ted Collins said.
Migrant gangs recruit these kids because they know the legal system is set up so that if they are caught, they will only serve a few months in juvenile detention and have their records expunged once they turn 18.
“They know they won't be punished as severely as adults who are over 18. If it's not a very egregious crime, they can get away with it and basically rewrite their resume and do anything for the gang,” added Devin Perkins, a DCF associate.
The problem has grown exponentially as the border crisis worsens under President Biden's administration, a crisis made even more severe by authorities in nearby Denver and their sanctuary policies making them a target for migrant gangs.
Meanwhile, another gun store in Colorado Springs Hit by a blow The culprits used the same method to break into the store using a stolen vehicle on Aug. 24. Police said several firearms were stolen but did not provide further details.
According to KKTV, the area Suffered So far this year, there have been nearly 30 incidents of cars driven by minors crashing into stores and stealing merchandise.
“Every year it gets worse. Small businesses are basically being forced out of business. If you don't have insurance, it's hard to recover from such big losses.” said Timothy Arthur, owner of Let's Make a Deal Pawn & Gun Shop, was also a victim of a robbery last month in Colorado Springs, KDRO-TV reported.
Arthur added that he is one of the store owners who removes guns from the shelves and locks them up every night, so no firearms were lost during the robbery.
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