Guns Stolen! Need advice

BPKHunter · Jul 1, 2008

Well I had a few guns stolen out of the trunk of my car in my own damn garage. I had some guns for sale and had left them in my car so I could show them to people. Someone came in our garage at night and rifled through the car and of all the times for them not to be in the safe. The worst thing of all is that the best one I had was a "Like New" Ruger Red Label, in the box and I even had the original receipt so I could show what I paid.

My question is wether or not it will make sense to claim on my Insurance. I'm with Allstate and I don't know if I will claim through auto or homeowners. Will they require me to have serial numbers for long guns as I don't. I have some pics of me with the Ruger, but the other two guns were old and no pics I can recall. The Ruger replacement value is about $1200-$1300, but the others where only worth about $500 or so combined. My homeowners policy deductible is $500 I think and the vehicle deductible is $50 Comprehensive I think.

I don't want to file a claim if I'm just going to get screwed. Anyone have experience with guns stolen and insurance co, especially Allstate.

sageadvice · Jul 1, 2008

Major Bummer! With luck and serial #'s you may get them back but still...sorry to hear of things like this. NRA insurense?

LESGO54 · Jul 1, 2008

sounds to me like somebody knew they were in the trunk.

slamdunk · Jul 1, 2008

+1 LESGO

My ex wife, my son and her new hubby just had some guns stolen from their house, all of them ended up at one pawn shop and they found them all.
They will get them back after when the state is done pressing charges on the theives, the police have them in custody now.

Don't know what to tell ya on the insurance thing, but chances are your guns were pawned by someone that knew they were in there and a pawned for drug money.

BPKHunter · Jul 1, 2008

I would think the same, but after making some calls it looks like there has been a number of cars that have been gone through taking minor items like cash, cd's, etc. I think I just was stupid enough to have my guns in the trunk and the car unlocked, but in my garage.

Oh well we will see tomorrow. I just don't want to file a claim and find out they won't cover me for some reason as I do know if you file and they don't pay you still get hit with the claim. Ouch! I've never filed a claim with my homeowners and I own 5 homes now(rentals), so I don't want my rates to go up.

ClorideRUS · Jul 1, 2008

Let me know what the insurance is willing to pay ... and I'll sell them back to you for cost plus 10%. I always feel sorry for dumbies.

Jesus

d13r · Jul 1, 2008

Why have insurance if you are not going to use it when needed? They should be covered by your homeowners and they need to pay you for them.

JB

calgaryflames · Jul 1, 2008

BPKHUNTER, I HAD 3 RIFLES STOLEN OUT OF MY GARAGE 2 YRS AGO. WIFE DIDN'T LIKE THE GUNS IN THE HOUSE BECAUSE OF THE KIDS.HAD THEM STASHED, AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, THE GARAGE DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN ONE NIGHT..(WIFE!!) I DID HAVE THE SERIAL #'S, BUT THEY ONLY GAVE ME 1/2 OF WHAT THEY WERE WORTH!! SAVAGE LEVER 308, RUGER BOLT 270, AND A BROWNING 7MM LEVER.. SO I BOUGHT WITH ONLY 1/2 OF WHAT THEY WERE WORTH, A BROWNING 300 SMW LEVER!!!! WHAT THEY GAVE ME SUCKED BUT I NEEDED A RIFLE!!! MY INSURANCE DIDN'T GO UP EITHER. I WISH SOMEONE WOULD PAWN MY RIFLES SO I COULD GET THEM BACK.. OR AT LEAST THATS WHAT I'M TOLD.. THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO RUN ALL THINGS WITH SERIAL #'S,

I'D CALL YOUR INSURANCE AGENT AND JUST ASK....

GOOD LUCK!!

BUD

nickman · Jul 1, 2008

BPK..........I am real sorry that some rectum stole your guns!

That being said.....do you live on the moon or what? Who has guns of any kind and does not have the serial #'s in two or three places?

Maybe someone else will see what happened and avoid your error.

I really am sorry though.

completesportsman · Jul 1, 2008

If they were recently purchased guns you might be able to get the serial #'s from where you purchased them.

I had three guns stolen from our house in 1992 and our Nationwide homeowners paid us current value for the guns. We had model and serial #'s recorded, all we had to do was get an estimate from a gun shop on the current value of each, took it back to our agent and they wrote us a check.

I never got any of them back.

Longun · Jul 2, 2008

If I was you I'd get a hold of both the Auto Insurance and Homeowners and file a claim with both. And it does sound to me that somebody close by knew the guns were in the trunk of the car that night.

Utah400Elk · Jul 2, 2008

I worked as a local police officer for over 10 years and gun thefts out of a garage are (sorry to say) common. Gun shops are required to keep a copy of the form you filled out to get the gun. The shop the gun was purchased at WILL have the serial number, make model. Most stolen guns end up in pawn shops. I would check your local pawn shops first. Another little trick of some pawn shops is to "accidently" transpose a few numbers on guns and high dollar items serial numbers. Most pawns are 30 days. In the next month I would check the shops a few times if you want the guns back.

caelkhnter · Jul 2, 2008

I happen to practice insurance law. I expect any coverage you have will be under the Homeowners policy. In additon, if you have good insurance, you should have replacement cost insurance. The insurer will advance what they call "actual cash value" or "ACV", which is what they determine the guns could be purchased for used, but if and when you replace them, they should pay you the "hold back" amount, what they determined was the difference between the replacement cost and the ACV. The idea being that the insurance is not going to pay replacement cost unless you actually replace them. The policy language actually allows for this type of adjustment of the claim.

Obviously the better your proof is that you owned the guns, purchase receipts, credit card receipts, confirmation provided by the gun shop, the easier it is to get the claim paid. However, if the guns were gifted, many years ago, and you have no purchase info, and do not know where they were purchased, you can still prove owernership with pictures and maybe declarations of friends who saw you with the guns, etc. Good Luck.

BPKHunter · Jul 2, 2008

I will accept all the "your stupid" comments as they are deserved. Normally I would kick your ass for those comments but it was my mistake.

I keep all the original boxes with receipts seperate from the guns, so I didn't seperately catalogue the serial numbers.

I have a call into my agent so I will see how it goes.

I can probably get the serial number for my Ruger from the seller, but the other gun was purchased used from a small shop in 1983 that went out of business in 1984.

Everyone out there should learn from my mistakes. Guns go from the field/range directly back into the safe!

Hardway · Jul 2, 2008

Are you a member of the NRA ? If you are, you have gun theft insurance included in your membership. If so, PM me with you member # and I can help you.

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

EROCK1313 · Jul 2, 2008

That really sucks and I hope you can get them replaced by the insurance and I hope they catch the morons. Good Luck!

I hate to say it, but I am learning from your mistake. I (for some reason of another) have not made copies of me serial numbers or taken alot of pics with them. Lesson learned. I will do that immediately.

Hope ya get them recovered, one way or another!

~Erick

mozey · Jul 2, 2008

Good luck with all this BK. I'm sure you're the only one on this entire MM blog that's ever had a laspe of judgement... \sarcasm off... ;-)

TheGreatWhiteHunter · Jul 2, 2008

I hope you can get paid out by your insurance or maybe get your guns back if they end up at a pawn shop.

It really sucks what happened to you but hopefully aother will learn by your misfortune. I do hope you get them back.

This should bring a wake call to everyone who does not already have documented photos and serial numbers of all their firearms and high end optics or anything of great value to them for that matter.

THE LORD IS MY ROCK
COLORADO,USA
NRA LIFE MEMBER
HUNTING PASS IT ON

norby · Jul 3, 2008

Caelkhunter is correct! Your insurance company is responsible for the stolen items, even if you have no rec. or other documentation. Your insurance company may require that you sign a sworn proof of loss statement.

Most insurance companies have special limits of liability on some personal property. Firearms are usually limited to a certain dollar amount, typically $2,500. This limitation usually applies only to theft. Call your insurance agent and most companies offer an endorsement to your policy that will increase your coverage for a small premium. If you have a large or expensive firearm collection you may wish to cover the firearms under a separate policy.

BT

alsatian · Jul 3, 2008

I have two Springfield rifles that I don't know the serial numbers. The serial numbers, I surmise, is under the scope mounts, and I'm not taking them off to look up the numbers. I have the serial numbers of guns I have bought written down in a single notebook. I may have the original receipts stashed, but maybe not. I don't buy and sell guns, so I'm not sure why I need to take special care with my serial numbers. I live in a very low crime area. I have other rifles/ shotguns I have inherited which I would not swear to having written down serial numbers for. I guess, in part, I don't have a lot of faith that having the serial numbers of my guns written down somewhere is going to do me a hill of beans worth of good if my guns are stolen, but maybe that is just a stupid attitude. So anyway, that is just my witnessing of my lack of diligence in recording my serial numbers. Does everyone keep track of these things diligently?