Lesson Learned - Gym nonCarry

[Abraham]

Plus, there are those like me who decided on forgoing the magazine choice and pay $10.00 for membership.

Hey, my membership card has my number - works for me!

[TxDrifter]

I use one of these in my truck.

http://www.consolevault.com/

Much better than just a trunk and they have a version with a steel cable to at least slow someone down a bit more than the trunk latch. After having a truck stolen and another broken into I do what I can within reason.

+1 on the NRA insurance.

[TexasCajun]

Well here's where things stand currently. I've gotten new DL, CHL, credit card, debit card, & key card for work. I've re-keyed my house & car. I've set up a credit watch on Experian. I've contacted my homeowner's insurance - I'm covered, but I didn't meet the deductible. I found out that I did activate my firearms coverage through the NRA when I joined a few years ago & since my membership has remained in place, I'm covered for the gun theft. Looks like I'm well on my way to this being a very good learning experience. But it's been a lot of extra work.

[KC5AV]

Glad it's all working out... now if the police could just find the twerp who stole your stuff.

[TexasCajun]

Glad it's all working out... now if the police could just find the twerp who stole your stuff.

Thanks. Somehow I doubt they'll find the theif. The responding officer basically just went into secretary mode when there was no video to look at. So at this point I really hope that they don't find them. Because the only way to do that would be to trace my gun if it were used in a crime. And that's the part that really bothers me - that my gun will probably be used to hurt an innocent. At this point I hope it just disappears like a fart in the wind.

[SledXD]

Sorry to hear about this pain. I can tell you from my experience running gyms for the past 15 years all over Houston, locker / car theft is not an uncommon issue. I have seen these things happen in poor areas as well as "upscale" parts of town. A couple of things I would say to anyone that goes to busy gyms:

- 99.9% of car breakins are from something valuable or perceived to be valuable is sitting in plain view. Thieves will break a window of a car sitting in the front row of the lot if they see a bag or briefcase in plain view. They almost never break into a car in hopes that something good is in their hidden. BG's like things as easy as possible and will go the path of least resistance. Hide your stuff before you go! BG's love to see people pull into the lot, open their trunk, place all their life's valuables in trunk, and then walk into the gym for an hour! BG walks up to that car, breaks window, pops trunk, grabs stuff, and gone before anyone knows anything.

- Locker thefts happen everywhere at any time of day! You would think that putting your stuff in the front row by the exit to the locker room will have enough traffic to prevent theft. Wrong. These guys can pop a lock in two seconds. Grab and go before anyone knows the wiser.

- I wouldn't carry a gym bag around with my weapon. Too dangerous for me. It takes seconds to grab my bag and be off with my gun. I wouldn't feel safe unless the gun is on my person. I would never leave bags on the side of the basketball court! I can't tell you how many things have been stolen sitting on the court!

What I would do:

- find a way to carry on your person or
- use the lockers that some gyms provide that are on the floor facing the gym space that you can lock and always keep within eyesight
- never tell anyone you do not trust to keep your mouth shut that you have a gun. If anyone knows you carry and knows you lock it in car or locker room and they happen to tell someone that tells someone that tells someone that needs an easy gun.... well you get the point.

I can tell you that I have had to deal with LEO's on several occasions that had their car or locker broken into. I can't imagine what it must of been like to tell their superior that their gun was stolen at the gym.

[Jim Beaux]

Be sure and buy a quality lock because these thugs can go to youtube and find the vulnerability for your lock.

How to open a Masterlock with an aluminum soda can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipMi6ryESqk

[NorthDallas7]

Sorry to hear this. Breakins are fairly common at both gyms I work out at. Which is why for the past 10 years, I carry a small bag with me on the floor. It holds my wallet, and any other valuables including my ruger lcp. Yes, I carry my gun with me on the gym floor in a bag. A ruger lcp. A few years ago, you may recall a guy walked into an LA Fitness back east and killed a few people.

Again, sorry to hear about your loss.

[Abraham]

Stop going to gyms and work out at home.

A decent set of free weights cost about a month or two gym membership. Then get a bench for presses and you're done with equipment needs. You don't need a whole host of mostly unavailable 'exercise machines', honestly, you don't.

Treadmill needs?

Please, rediscover actual walking.

Plus, you'll save money on gasoline, wear and tear on your vehicle, exposure to accident, and man, working out at home is the epitome of convenient.

Also, no waiting for someone else to finish their set on some machine they left sweaty, yuk...

[Dragonfighter]

<SNIP> So at this point I really hope that they don't find them. Because the only way to do that would be to trace my gun if it were used in a crime. And that's the part that really bothers me - that my gun will probably be used to hurt an innocent. At this point I hope it just disappears like a fart in the wind.

Listen, please. IF, and this is a big IF (more likely pawned) the handgun is used in a crime; it is not your fault. You took reasonable steps to secure it, you had a reasonable expectation of security. The gym's staff fell down (if not involved directly), the security at the gym failed and a criminal stole your stuff.

YOU did NOTHING wrong. I pray that no one is hurt either, I'm grateful that you have begun repairing the "normalcy" of your life but if anything happens it's the criminal, not you. If someone stole your softball equipment would you be fretting like this? How many people are hurt with bats?

<shout>
THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT!
</shout>

Rest easy and may God Bless you with peace of mind.

[TexasCajun]

As soon as it stays light out longer, the wife & I will start walking either in the park or around our neighborhood.

I've come to terms with the fact that there are bad people in the world & I realize that although not as careful as I should have been, I wasn't negligent. Any wrong doing with my gun falls on the head of the bad guy. But I still don't like it. Thanks, though.

[dawgfishboy]

That stinks man. Had my .22 stolen out of my boss' truck while eating lunch.

Sorry to hear this. Breakins are fairly common at both gyms I work out at. Which is why for the past 10 years, I carry a small bag with me on the floor. It holds my wallet, and any other valuables including my ruger lcp. Yes, I carry my gun with me on the gym floor in a bag. A ruger lcp. A few years ago, you may recall a guy walked into an LA Fitness back east and killed a few people.

Again, sorry to hear about your loss.

I've just started using this to carry my p380 while mountain biking. They have a double pocket option or you can buy an add-on pocket if you want to separate your gun from IDs,CC, keys...made here in Texas too.

Once the p380 is broken in and proven reliable, I'll start carrying it in the gym.

[TexAg12]

I hate to hear about your troubles! I almost lost it when just my keys disappeared from the gym, so I can't imagine how you feel. I hope everything goes smooth trying to fix it.

[GoTimeSurvival]

Sorry to hear a lowlife helped himself to the things you worked hard for.

I analyzed the security camera coverage at my gym and park in the most illuminated spot that has a full crisp picture on the monitors. In my favorite spot, you can also see 2 spots on either side. The break ins I know about have typically involved the perp backing into the site next to their target.

When I plan to shower at home, I pack light and keep the bag with me or use the lockers on the workout floor that I can see the whole time.

When I play basketball, I put my bag on the sideline across the gym from where everybody congregated and store their bag. Even during a competitive game, if somebody crosses the court to be near my bag, it imeditately gets (and keeps) my attention. Sometimes I'll use the floor lockers just outside the court, but I can't see them while playing.
If I take my big bag and it's late (9pm-2am), I'll keep my bag with me. If it's busier, I'll use the public locker room. The problem with the private changing rooms is that a thief will get unlimited time alone to work in there... it's loud enough that he could potentially do whatever he wants, take all the time he needs, never fear somebody walking in on him, and out all the loot in a bigger bag without suspision.

If mine ever gets stolen, I imagine the police report will cost me my membership with no refund as the contract has a non-30.06 "no guns" clause.

Nothing is perfect.

P.S. if you're going to workout at home for sure, consider something like P90X (depending on age and current conditioning level, of course). My wife does it and I've used a few sessions when I couldn't make it to the gym... it's the real deal.

I have considered the gym bag left where I can see it approach but would be interested in LEO or CHL point of view regarding that. Is that necessarily under my positive control if the concealed weapon is not on my person? If a teenager dashed in and grabbed my bag - wouldn't I be in trouble for a failure to secure or "allowing" a minor to have access to a weapon or some other type of charge in Texas?

[TexasCajun]

The NRA insurance check came in yesterday. $287 for my gen3 Glock 17. It's about what I expected. They calculated the "actual cash value" at $387 minus $100 deductible.