Twenty-one handguns were stolen after a thief or thieves broke in through the front door of a local gun shop in the middle of the night.
At around 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday Feb. 6 the St. Albert RCMP received a report of a security alarm going off at The Shootist store at 54 St. Michael Street.
Rob Gelinas, owner of the gun shop, said that the guns, which are both new and used, are valued at around $16,000.
“Some of them were expensive handguns,” Gelinas said. “Most of the business I do here is consignment. I end up getting everything from the inexpensive up to the extremely expensive stuff.”
No ammunition was taken from the store and Gelinas said that some of the guns taken are so specialized that the thieves would have to make their own ammunition to use the weapons. For other guns the ammunition is very common and can be bought at Canadian Tire.
The suspect or suspects broke in through the front door of the business at 54 St. Michael Street and smashed open the cabinet that contained the handguns.
Gelinas said it looked like thieves used a pry bar to open a gap between the frame and the door and then used a cutting tool to cut the bolt lock.
The owner said that he feels “absolutely terrible” about the incident.
“Its extremely disheartening. I’m a mess. I’m stressed out,” Gelinas said.
Gelinas, who has owned the store for around 18 months, said guns have been stolen from the store twice in the past but it was before he was involved with the shop. The store has been in the community since 1995.
The businessman said that he is considering upgrading his security measures in the shop to keep the guns safe. Gelinas said that his alarm went off and the RCMP was alerted but it still was not enough to catch the thieves in action.
“I have to see if there is a way to change things. It's always the balance between how much money it costs in order to make it properly secured to the point where it's enough deterrent,” Gelinas said.
Anyone with information about these or any other crimes is asked to contact St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or the Morinville RCMP at 780-939-4550. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.tipsubmit.com.
