Authorities said tracking down two dozens guns stolen in a pair or recent burglaries may be hard to accomplish. They are also are confident those guns are now in the wrong hands.
Thieves tossed a boulder into a double-pained glass window at the Cleveland Armory in Valley View on Sunday, stealing 11 semi-automatic guns. Owner Todd Karam estimated the value at $7,000.
Then, on Tuesday, someone backed a stolen minivan into the front of B and T Shooting Supplies in Middleburg Heights and stole more than a dozen of the same style of guns.
Surveillance cameras captured both burglaries, but neither case is solved.
In 2014, federally-licensed firearms dealers in Ohio reported 313 guns stolen. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives record those serial numbers, but finding the guns can still be a challenge.
"You have to have the report that it was stolen initially and then you also have to have the gun coming into law enforcement hands at some later time,” ATF Spokeswoman Suzanne Dabkowski said.
That means, to recover those guns, they are often used in a crime first.
The ATF, along with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction in these cases.
Call 1-800-ATF-GUNS with information. Callers can remain anonymous.
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