He tried to steal at the Knoxville gun show!

[Guest tnvolfan]

Wow -- I haven't seen people move that fast in a long time! About 11 am today at the Knoxville Expo Center Gun Show, a young white man, I'd say around 19-22 yrs old, of normal build and about 5'10", was tackled and floored by at least five men, after one of the exhibitors screamed that he was stealing. Immediately the young man tried to run toward the entrance door, which was about 20 ft away, and the crowd just consumed him. You should have seen his face -- it was awful. His face was wretched in pain -- it reminded me of Lee Harvey Oswald when Ruby got him. Anyway, he was able to drag these men a few feet until they literally pushed him to the floor. I ran to the entrance to get the police, telling them there was an emergency, and two of them raced inside and cuffed him. They brought him our front, where he was retained until the Knoxville City Police car arrived to haul him away.

I don't know for sure what he was trying to steal, but I overheard others in the crowd say that he had tried to steal a pistol. I cannot imagine a more stupid thing for someone to do, especially at a gun show. This young man wasn't a vagrant or anything of the kind -- what would make someone commit such a desperate act? Comments anyone??

[VERO1]

Terminally Stupid:screwy: Glad they got him I hate thieves!

[Guest eyebedam]

Sad thing is I bet in the next few months you will see more of this. With the economy in the crapper & alot folks out of work there will be good people turning to theivery. There's been a rash of break INS in my area. I'm def not taking up for the theif. I'm glad he was caught & you have to be a complete dumbass to steal at a gunshow of all places. I'm assuming the charges for stealing a gun are worse than say stealing a TV?

[Reg]

You should have seen his face -- it was awful. His face was wretched in pain -- it reminded me of Lee Harvey Oswald when Ruby got him.

I don't know why, but that made me laugh out loud. I've seen the Ruby/Oswald photo all my life and I guess it made an impression. I'm sorry I missed this would-be thief get piled on. I almost went this morning, but time got away. Maybe tomorrow.

[Guest Rando]

Guns are stolen at every show, this guy just didnt have his stuff together and got busted. You should have yelled dog pile and seen how many it took to squish his guts out while they had him down. I would like to say the good guys won this time but not all dealers are good guys, ie check the prices table to table. Hope to be there tomorrow, wish I had a way to pull my 74 Early Bronco down there to try and sell it.

Hope to see you there, Rando

[bubbiesdad]

Sad thing is I bet in the next few months you will see more of this. With the economy in the crapper & alot folks out of work there will be good people turning to theivery. There's been a rash of break INS in my area. I'm def not taking up for the theif. I'm glad he was caught & you have to be a complete dumbass to steal at a gunshow of all places. I'm assuming the charges for stealing a gun are worse than say stealing a TV?

If it was a licensed dealer, then I believe it is a Federal Offense.

[Oh Shoot]

If it was a licensed dealer, then I believe it is a Federal Offense.

Never heard that one before, but....

We (moi + SunTsu, Garufa, 70below, HKUSP40cal) were there when it happened, but we didn't know anything till they "announced" over the mostly unintelligible loud speaker, I guess as a deterrent to it happening again. We had to ask around till we found out what had been announced.

- OS

[Guest coldblackwind]

What was he thinking? All he had to do was go to tollivers in manchester! Last time they handed me a glock, then I couldn't get anyone to look in my direction for 20 minutes to give it back! Some of the dealers really don't pay much attention though, seriously. I've stood behind them trying to get their attention for 5-10 minutes at a time at shows with gun in hand, and realized I could have walked off with it and been out the door by the time they even looked in that direction. Not that I would, before anyone comments on that.

[56FordGuy]

At most of the shows I've been to, the dealers have, at the very least, a piece of string run through the trigger guards of all the handguns on the table. Some have an electronic cable that sets off an alarm if someone tries to remove a gun. Seems like that would cut down on stuff simply 'walking off' unnoticed.

The last show I went to in Smyrna, I believe a Kimber disappeared off of a table. They were checking bags and other containers as folks left. Not sure if they found it or not.

Edited September 13, 2009 by 56FordGuy
Spelling

[Guest coldblackwind]

I know that when ammo was about topped out, one of the ammo guys in nashville had a net along his entire table with a sign apologizing for the net, and cussing thieves. Apparently they had gotten quite a bit stolen throughout the day, not guns, but lots of ammo, which given the prices at the time, amounted to a lot of cash.

[Guest nascar22]

I was standing where the dealer caught up with the kid.

I heard someone running (turns out it was the dealer catching up to him.) The dealer says give me my gun. The kid stops, looks at him, and figures that he has been caught and hands the gun to the dealer. The dealer then grabs the kid by the arm to take him to the authorities to turn him in. They did not take 2 steps and the kid takes off running for the door.

Of course it's so crowded he can't get to the front fast enough especially after people are yelling to stop him. He ends up swallowed by a sea of people and several of them hold him down til the cuffs are on.

He did put up quite a struggle. I'm not sure how old he his. He's one of those kids that could be 16 or 22. Hard for me to tell. When he was cuffed at the front door he looked like he was mad he got caught. (Although he could have been mad at himself for trying something that stupid.)

I was half expecting one of those tazer dealers to lean out and give him a jolt when he was heading for the door. To bad cause I've never seen that in person before and if anyone derseved a good tazin it was him.

I thought the show itself was lackluster but I feel I got my $10 worth.

[Guest tnvolfan]

Thanks for verifying what had been taken. I can't imagine someone actually thinking he could get away with that. I've seen dealers take precautions against thievery, and it looks like they may have to take even more. Not the last Expo show, but the one before that, they caught a kid stealing a knife, and my car happened to be parked in the row next to the kid's family car -- one of the police officers was out there chewing his butt good (they were going to let him go), but as I watched the mom, something just didn't look right. Her expressions were all wrong. I sure hope that I'M wrong, but I believe the mom put the kid up to it because she knew since he was underage, if he didn't get away with it, he'd probably be let off the hook. This kind of thing is really disturbing to me -- I just hate seeing young people throw their lives away on something like this.

[Fadex]

Someone get his name and let's enter him for a Darwin Award!!

[Metalhead]

He ends up swallowed by a sea of people

Too bad it wasnt zombies.

[Paletiger13]

Too bad it wasnt zombies.

Bwahahaha

[jtluttrell]

but I feel I got my $10 worth.

Man, I would have gladly paid ten to see this.

[Guest Gun Geek]

HA! I guess he took the media raz about gun show "loop hole" to literally "anyone can just walk in and walk out with a gun" They forgot to mention you have to pay for it I guess.

That also goes to show you that you mess with one of us you mess with us all huh?

[50 cal]

Saw a guy get busted at a Nashville show for trying to steal a little Bersa .380 back about 10 or 12 years ago. Dealer caught him red handed. Reached across the table as the guy was putting the pistol in his pocket.

I was standing right next to him as it happened. The dealer had the guy by the arm and had a death grip on it. The look of shear terror on his face was priceless as he was trying to get away.

[Guest TurboniumOxide]

And none of us gun crazies shot him?? Why I find that hard to believe. We need to turn in our cowboy cards. shucks.

[Guest Grout]

Guns get stolen at shows all the time.Most times it is from individuals who set up a table to sell and trade.Most dealers have the cables or keep the guns in a glass case.On a similar note and a word to the wise a guy who I don't see much at shows anymore but at one time was a regular at the shows in TN and GA was knocked in the head from behind in a parking garage adjacent to a show in Knoxville once.He had a wad of money and several guns taken from him.Someone saw him in the show,saw he was alone and followed him out when he left.

[Guest tnvolfan]

Guns get stolen at shows all the time.Most times it is from individuals who set up a table to sell and trade.Most dealers have the cables or keep the guns in a glass case.On a similar note and a word to the wise a guy who I don't see much at shows anymore but at one time was a regular at the shows in TN and GA was knocked in the head from behind in a parking garage adjacent to a show in Knoxville once.He had a wad of money and several guns taken from him.Someone saw him in the show,saw he was alone and followed him out when he left.

I usually don't go to a gun show with less than $200 cash -- lots of these exhibitors don't take anything else. I also have a friend who recently went to one at Chilhowie with $1000 cash for the expressed purpose of buying a used AR from a non-dealer. There are lots of folks who get into the trading and buying action at these shows, and carry lots of cash for that reason. I think it'd be a good idea to carry a baton (at least) if you are also carrying a wad.

[Oh Shoot]

... I think it'd be a good idea to carry a baton (at least) if you are also carrying a wad.

You know that's illegal unless you have training certificate, yes?

- OS

[Guest MCRAIG]

I never been to a gun show before but think I might ask off for the next one. I work every weekend. Can you carry a loaded gun if you have a permit?

[56FordGuy]

Depends on the show. The RK shows in Williamson county, and formerly in Smyrna, had "No loaded guns" signs on the doors.

[Oh Shoot]

I never been to a gun show before but think I might ask off for the next one. I work every weekend. Can you carry a loaded gun if you have a permit?

They have (non-conforming of course) signs that all guns must be unloaded and no loaded mags.

You are supposed to go through the "gun line" if you have a firearm of any kind so that they can put a disabling cable tie through it.

However, the answer to your question of "can you carry" is yes, since they don't search entrants.

- OS