By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a burglary at a gun store that happened Thursday morning, marking the second such incident in the Tucson area this week.
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Deputies said several rifles and handguns were taken from the store, and the suspects left the area before deputies arrived.
Thursday’s burglary happened at SNG Tactical, located near Palo Verde and Ajo.
There was a very similar burglary at Elite Guns and Ammo, located near Broadway and Camino in Tucson, early Monday morning.
In both cases, multiple suspects used a vehicle to smash into the building before taking the guns and running away.
The PCSD said it does not have information on Thursday’s suspects but said it will release sketches, images or descriptions once more information is available.
ATF INVESTIGATING
A.J. Gibes, ATF special agent in charge for the Phoenix Field Division, said the two burglaries happening in a short timeframe are not a common occurrence or a growing trend in the greater Southwest.
“This is a crime of opportunity, so depending upon what’s available to them, they’ll usually take whatever they can,” Gibes said.
Gibes said firearms taken in burglaries like these are often diverted to the black market.
“In this particular case, and, and many, what we see is that there are folks that are diverting firearms to the black market,” Gibes said.
POTENTIAL BUYERS
Gibes said semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns are the most sought-after on the black market for a specific demographic.
“They can’t pass their own background checks, or they’re going to criminal groups and gangs. That includes street gangs or even the cartels,” Gibes said.
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Gibes said the firearms traveling outside of the country is not out of the realm of possibility.
“We can’t exclude that. That is a possibility. Through my experience as well as other ATF agents and local investigators, that has happened before,” Gibes said.
LOCAL STORES BEEF UP SECURITY
The ATF does not include security as part of its licensing requirements, but some local stores have taken their own precautions.
John Petrush, of John’s Guns and Ammo, said he locks up firearms at night and brings them out during the day. He said he has also added more security cameras inside the store.
Gibes said investigators rely on certain factors when burglaries bypass security measures, including serial numbers, which can still be tracked even if they are obliterated.
“We’ve had good situations in the past in cases where we’ve certainly been able to solve these cases, even if somebody takes that effort,” Gibes said.
CALL FOR HELP
Gibes said the biggest factor in solving these crimes is help from the public.
“Often it may be just one person that either overheard someone talking about committing one of these crimes, or that they’re familiar with firearms that are being put up for sale that might have come from one of these burglaries,” Gibes said.
Officials said more information will be released on the two investigations in Pima County in the coming days.
Anyone with information about either burglary is asked to contact the PCSD or TPD. You can call 88-CRIME or go to www.88CRIME.org.
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