DENVER — Two guns were stolen out of Loveland Representative-Elect Ron Weinberg's truck while parked at the Colorado State Capitol, according to an article from Denver7's partners at the Denver Post,
Denver7 spoke with Justin Weathers of Final Protective Line Academy, who trains individuals on how to use firearms safely.
“I started as a US Army infantryman from 1998 to 2018. So, I retired after 20 years. I'm a purple heart recipient," Weathers said. “After I retired, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. And what do you do with skills like that? I know how to shoot, I know how to fight, and I know how to survive. So, I just decided to teach it to my fellow citizens.”
According to Weathers, the most common place in the country to steal guns is out of cars.
“The fear is that it's going to be used in a crime, it's going to be used in a robbery, or it's going to be used in a homicide. Or it's going to find its way into the hands of a kid or something like that," Weathers said. “There's a lot of bad scenarios that go along with having your gun stolen out of your car.”
Weathers, who has his concealed carry license, said when he has his gun in his car it is inside of a device called a SnapSafe. The device locks the gun inside of a box, and has a cable that hooks to the bottom of a seat in the car. The box then slides underneath a car seat.
"That way if some thief comes and opens your car, of course they're going to look in your glove box, of course they're going to look in your glove compartment or in your center console. And if they spot this they have to have a set of bolt cutters to cut through that," Weathers said, referencing the cable attached to the safe.
Weathers said the safes come in several brands, and can be found at most gun or sporting goods stores.
“It's not foolproof," Weathers added. "The ultimate protection against having your gun stolen is not leaving it in your car.”
In 2021, Colorado state legislators passed a law requiring lost or stolen firearms be reported within five days of the owner discovering the theft or loss. If done so, the owner cannot be criminally charged.