The video above shows how some tricky gun thieves made off with a prototype SBR from the Precision Firearms booth at the NRA’s Great America Outdoor Show last month in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
According to reports from local media, the 9mm rifle with a “custom-shortened barrel and 30-round magazine was the only one of its kind.” It was stolen on Saturday, Feb. 6, around 1:30 p.m.
In the video, you can watch as the trio of thieves walk up to the booth and pull their shenanigans.
Essentially, it breaks down as follows, two guys walk up to the booth, one guy picks up the gun and backs off, the other guy stands in front of him, shielding him from the workers in the booth. The guy with the gun pulls out a book or magazine to further obstruct the gun in his hands.
Then, the woman walks up with the bag, and the guy with the gun drops it into the bag. The woman leaves the area, followed by the other two crooks.
A photo of the stolen firearm. (Photo: Precision Firearms)
The model number of the stolen gun is PF15F and the serial number is F150153.
Police gave the following description of the suspects, according to Pennlive.com:
The first suspect was described as a white heavyset, tall man wearing a black baseball hat, green t-shirt, black sweatshirt and black sneakers.
The second suspect was described as a white man of average height with a medium build wearing a black and white ball cap, dark colored jacket, blue jeans, brown boots and carrying a black and yellow bag and black backpack.
The female suspect was described as white, with a medium to heavy build, average height, with short blond hair wearing a grey sweatshirt, dark colored pants, brown boots and carrying a dark colored backpack.
If you see this firearm when you’re out and about, or if any of those losers in the video look familiar, you can contact Pennsylvania Capitol Police at 717-787-3816.
I have never seen so many lame, ill informed, irresponsible comments about a news article before.
Such as “why wasnt the gun tied to a cable”, “its gotta be a conspirational setup”, “that gun dealer was so irresponsible” etc etc.
We attend this show every year. It is not a gun show. It is an outdoor show. If guns were cabled it would be very hard for thousands of people to pick them up and look at them and make an informed decision about buying them.
If a criminal gang does an evil deed, that does not make the victim stupid. That is like blaming a rape victim for being raped “because she was wearing a hot outfit” or some other nonsense. What kind of world will this be if we blame the victims for the evil deeds of the perpetrators?
I love the NRA outdoor show in harrisburg and I look forward to taking my family back there every year. I am hoping they dont change a thing because of a couple of idiots.
What was special about this SBR ? Was it direct gas impingement or piston driven….now that would be rare on a 9mm SBR. Other than that the only thing that could make this SBR special is if it was a fully automatic SBR that was direct gas impingement or piston driven.
Beyond those two options, it is just another 9mm blow back pistol or SBR. Nothing special about it. The fact that it was wearing a collapsable stock is nothing special as any consumer can obtain almost every option on that gun already.
So this story is about how a group of people are stealing guns from Gun Shows. If they were brazen enough to get away with this one, they are creatures of habit and they will do it again. Hopefully they will get caught and brought to justice. But trying to sensationalize the “experimental-one of a kind-rare SBR, blah blah blah…NO it was simply three or more fools conspiring to steal from good business men. I hope they get caught….what would be better is if they were caught staring down at the end of a muzzle.
prototype of what? a 9mm converted AR type of rifle with short barrel and minimalist adjustable stock? big whoop. nothing special going on here, and what’s with the “SMG” B.S. reported by the media??
This was definitely a publicity / bad press stunt. guns at shows are at very least cabled and secured.
This was obviously a setup to get publicity against gun shows and the NRA. No cables and cable alarms on firearms at a show? What a bullshit joke! No way that happened by accident. Like 9/11 that kind of thing was a setup from the get-go. The goons were hired to do this stunt. The only crime is committed by the men who hired the “thieves”.
When a crime is committed – the (ultimate) beneficiary will provide the best clues to motive.
Lets see if the anti-gun mob “cash in” on this crime (and not let it “go to waste”)
The whole thing smells funny, to me. Tarnish the NRA. Gunshow “loophole” and on…
The Gun Shows I Go to in VA, All the Weapons Are Cabled as to Prevent Them From Aimlessly Wandering Off!… It is Shocking that the NRA Would Be So Careless, Security So Lame, and People Around So Blind, as Not to Witness Such an Blatantly Open Theft… Curious as to What Will Happen to the Person in Charge of the Weapon?
If you have your stuff just laying out. you shouldn’t be surprised that people steal it. If you can’t afford to buy steel cables to lock your guns to the shelfs. Then you shouldn’t have them out in public in the first place. The NRA should have strict rules in place about how venders secure their guns. And it would be a good policy to limit the guns venders let the public handle to demilled, inoperable guns only.
For the people saying that’s a pistol brace, it’s not. It’s a PDW stock, you can even see the collapsible bars on the receiver. So no it is not an AR pistol….
Agreed…It is NOT a AR pistol. Generally gun shows are very safe, but arms must be secured properly, because of professional organized thieves. “Like the ones we have in Washington DC”.
Don’t get no trickier then that !! Just like the dumbos’ who’s gun store got busted and robbed. Maybe a hardened cable thru the trigger guards of the rifles would have slowed them down ??? What a bunch of knuckleheads, the feds should pull their FFL… Worst then fast and furious by the FBI.
Every gun show I’ve been to most weapons are “cabled or alarmed”. Houston shop should be closed. Almost looks like a set up? Insurance scam?
My question is? How were they be able to leave the premises without the door security person catching them? No guns coming in unless you have a vendor’s badge (but guns must be checked in) and NO GUNS coming out without a proof of receipt with the weapon’s serial number. But, looks like they intended it to be stolen and have free ad like others mentioned…
Ha! How did security know to point that camera at that spot, at that time, to perfectly frame the “Keystone Caper” that was taking place in the midst of UN-tethered, “prototype” guns? Oh! it’s a static camera with nobody monitoring it? (just like that special SBR) Priceless. That seems like an excellent way to get your companies name in the spotlight… or something. Well, it worked, We’ve all heard of Precision Firearms now but would You trust them?
Please tell me why in this day and age of camera technology where everybody has a super high resolution camera in their phones and the NSA can read Our mail from Space, why do all security cameras still produce images that are on par with 1970s closed circuit T.V.? This story smells like an ice chest full of fish that got left in the boat Sunday night & Monday & Tuesday…
Alan B, have you considered that there were probably dozens of fixed cameras placed all around the show recording the whole time (which doesn’t require someone to monitor it)??? With cameras, it price vs. quality/resolution. If you want a lot of high resolution cameras it’s going to require a once fat wallet to go on a serious diet. Its not usually until after a robbery that people realize that it might have been worth it to get a few higher resolution cameras rather than many lower resolution cameras. And actually these shots were pretty good, but just because you have someone’s picture, it doesn’t mean you know who they are…
That shot was almost certainly a zoom in image from a much wider camera angle,that’s also the cause of much of the distortion,the full view shot would be better quality but make the action harder to see.
Is this the “Gun Show Loophole” that they keep talking about? Maybe a “Comprehensive Background Check” could have prevented this?
Pretty stupid for them not to have these items cabled or secured in some way. I do hope they catch th scumbags, though.
Signs. That’s what they were lacking. Need ” Do Not Steal Guns Zone” signs, and this tragedy would never have happened.
You’re absolutely right! If there had been proper signage denoting the space around the stolen firearm as a “theft free zone,” this incident would have never taken place! We must move immediately to pass laws banning the theft of all merchandise displayed in properly designated “theft free zones.” This will end the scourge of theft forever.
Pretty silly it was not cabled or alarm cabled.
How can someone blame the NRA for ANY item stolen from a booth? It is the personal responsibility of the booth to secure their weapons properly. PERSONAL responsibility, not another BIG BROTHER having to inspect and enforce how every booth conducts business. Probably everyone of us seeing this has wondered why this gun, any gun wasn’t secured better. Then again, for all we know, it could have had a steel cable attached and that was cut before the scumbag took the gun and placed the book over it. Most working folks and anyone that has ever trapped using snares knows there are inexpensive cable cutters that are small and would quietly cut right thru an 1/8 inch cable. I feel bad for the victim and every gun owner for the possible repercussions of these scums.
I guess we should ban booths. Although I never knew a booth that had the responsibility to secure a firearm. (sarc).
If only they were black then someone would have been watching them.
I’m sure it’s a SBR, and any reference to SMG is just the (as usual) completely ignorant reporter
A “Subgun” refers to a pistol caliber carbine (like the one stolen – see picture above).
Wrong! The author referred to this gun as a submachinegun, which it IS NOT!!! A SMG is automatic, not semiautomatic, and it is very unlikely that they would have had a fully automatic weapon on display unsecured. The title says SBR, which is correct that it is a short barreled rifle, regardless of caliber. It’s no wonder that the average Joe has no understanding of these basic terms, when an article like this is so screwed up!
Actually, it isn’t even a SBR. It is a AR15 pistol, there’s a big difference. There is not a stock, it is the buffer tube with a pistol brace.
It has a collapsible wire stock, not an arm brace. Look close & you can see the side bars running along the lower reciever. So, this is a SBR.
Publicity stunt… Free advertisement.
So this sort of publicity is worth the nightmare of unaccounted firearm paperwork,possible hefty fines, intensified scrutiny of the ATF and possible revocation of their dealer and federal firearm manufacturing license? I seriously doubt that a little bad press is worth all that hassle.
Who knows who they are? They could undercover pro thieves, or paid by antis to make more bad gun press. It will never change thieves will always find a way to get what they want. if the gun ever surfaces I’m sure they will be caught , wouldn’t a metal detector at the door to walk thru have caught them?????? Or cameras at admission would have helped with ID of the crooks. Even if they catch them all that will happen is a smack on the back of they’re hands ! It could be more of a put up job by the antis for sure, the big money Antigun groups will stop at nothing to succeed !!!!! That we all know is the truth.
It’s ironic that the organization that is supposedly fighting for our rights may end up being the one to put them even more at risk through this act of blatant negligence! The press is going to crucify them over this, as they should, because any credibility they may have had, just walked off the floor of a gun show!
Yes, of course it’s the NRA’s fault that criminals have no regard for laws….
So how is it the NRA’s fault? The NRA is not in control of what happens at the individual booths. The booth in question belongs to Precision Firearms, it is that company that fck’d up!
The Anti-gunners are now going to argue, justifiably so perhaps, that if an organization that insists that American citizens can be trusted with safely possessing and protecting our firearms from falling into the wrong hands, can’t even do it themselves, then how can they reliably ensure that any of us can. You can also forget about the ridiculous restrictions on SBR’s being eased anytime soon, and if anyone is killed with that stolen firearm, we may just lose that right altogether – thanks for protecting our rights NRA!
The gun shows ive been to (texas/utah) there are people at the door checking bags. If you bought a firearm the dealer gives you a paper slip that they check with their own records to see if you really bought it. Not that its full proof but it works very well.
Way to give the anti-gunners some ammunition to use against us, and way to protect our rights NRA!
The way you keep going on and on blaming the NRA, I begin to suspect you might be an anti-gun troll.
Every gun show I have ever attended the guns the dealers are selling are attached by a ble. These owners of this gun are idiots. Remind me not to buy their products. You gotta know if they are this flagrant with their weapons quality control is probably not an important issue for them. If a person is a criminal in their town where they reside, they are a criminal wherever they travel. They have just chosen a different locale to apply their chosen trade.
Come on people, you’re not manning a vegetable stand! You are dealing with a very serious commodity which bad guys, and gals, also have an interest in. Lackluster security only invites criminal acts. NRA dropped the ball on this one.
Prototype?? That’s laughable!! I’ve owned a registered 5″ Tros barreled suppressed SBR since 2008. The only difference is the one stolen is a subgun. It’s nothing new. I do hope they catch the thieves because an SBR’d subgun in the hands of an untrained idiot is a bad situation waiting to happen.
It’s not even a SBR, or SMG, or Subgun! It doesn’t have a stock, it has a pistol brace! That weapon is a AR15 pistol!
I’m purdy sure i recognize ‘um. The big one is Early Cuyler. the smaller one is his son Rusty. The blonde gotta be Early’s sister, Lil. They must’a distracted the sheriff again.
This is not a prototype, it is an ordinary, build it yourself AR-15 based short barreled rifle that is chambered in 9mm Luger. Shame on the Precision Firearms reps for bringing a fully functioning firearm into the show for people to handle. Dumb criminals and even dumber firearms manufacturer.
“According to reports from local media, the 9mm rifle with a “custom-shortened barrel and 30-round magazine was the only one of its kind.”
Was this the first gun show the company who it was stolen from has ever attended? did they not know that there’s a chance an un locked up gun could be stolen from their booth that seems to be too big for them to be able to keep an eye on?
So no other description? Luckily they had the Magazine in it when it was stolen or this gun would be useless…ya know, since it is a one of a kind and all! lol
I seriously have doubts on the validity of these kinds of videos and what the “real” intentions of these set ups are. Anybody can steal anything if it is well planned and coordinated. Make’s me wonder who the perpetrators “really” are.
Is this a cosmetics counter? How can a prototype sub-machine gun be sitting on a table with no security? Even steel cables can be cut and are not adequate security for this type of firearm.
The company claims it was an SBR, but the media is reporting SMG? I’ve never been to a show where SMG ‘s MG’s or grenade launchers were not secured with chain and tracking devices. So which is it an Semi auto SBR ? Or an SMG?
There is a huge difference.
If it was an unsecured SMG then the company should be held responsible along with the thieves for failing to secure it.
On another note, notice how thefts have been on the media all the time , just like before fast n furious scandal broke where the media reported everytime a gun was fired near the border, then when the story broke about Obamas attack on the 2nd amendment via the atf very little was reported unless it had to be like when the border agents died, yet how many heard about the 10 CHILDREN gunned down at a hotdog stand in Juarez Mexico with Obama guns?
There is another Obama operation running to change peoples minds on gun ownership. Something huge will break soon , I just hope more children are not murdered to forward the agenda of this administration
It’s neither a SBR nor a SMG! It has a pistol brace and short barrel, it is an AR15 pistol!
Actually it has a collapsed wire stock, not an arm brace. I’ve got the same stock on one of my AR’s… Look close & you will see the steel rods along the lower reciever
Look closely…it IS an sbr with a Troy (or similar) telescoping stock! Possibly NOT a SMG as referenced but still an NFA firearm nonetheless!!!
While it might be a bit careless to not have some sort of retention device or a security process for all firearms entering or leaving the facility, it’s shameful that people are attempting to place blame on a FFL merely attempting to get their product exposure at a legitimate venue. The only thing nefarious about this whole thing are the scumbags perpetrating the theft. Hopefully they will be caught and subject to the 10year imprisonment they have now earned by committing a federal crime against licensed dealer!
No, sorry. “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”. Criminals gonna be criminals. Expect it. Guns have no cognizance. They just gonna lay there until they are picked up. Accept it. Who does that leave as a responsible party. Not you, nor me. Not the NRA. Who was responsible for the security of that gun. The man on the booth, but ultimately, Precision Firearms. I’m not discounting possible collusion, Anyone who encouraged the theft should be treated the same as those who walked off with the gun. And the argument about what kind of gun it was is just smokescreen.
Funny how things like this and the Houston, TX smash and grab at a gun store are broadcast constantly, but very little is said about BURGLARIES at National Guard and US Army Reserve Armories where REAL machine guns were taken, along with other rifles and semi-automatic pistols, in 2014 and 2015. Add to that the NUMEROUS incidents of weapons being stolen from BLM agents, Park Rangers, and local municipal and county law enforcement officers, often targeted because they leave weapons in their take-home vehicles, and of course, the infamous “Fast and Furious” operation by BATFE. But I guess those are OK because governments are the ones from which the weapons were stolen- the media always thinks it’s way more serious when a private citizen or citizens are to blame, smh.
That’s why I say that as long as there are armed police, government agents, Armed military and arms makers on this planet, we will always have gun violence. Thieves steal guns and any guns are fair game…police officers and army personnel are humans same as you and I and we all can make a mistake and it only takes one time and someone could make off with yours or mine or the “cop down the road’s” guns! The Left and their Media cohorts like to say that all of the guns on the street come from we, the private gun owner… I call BS on that! And whats worse is that stolen guns can also come from out of the country… drugs, animals, and people get smuggled into the country every day, do they honestly believe that a good amount of weapons don’t follow them in too?
Really poor basic security measures in place! Can’t quite tell from the picture if it has a “happy switch” or not, but their use of the term “sub-machine gun” would lead me to believe that either it does or the reporting is as bad as the security!! Sharp little SBR though! Its rarity It will most likely remain in criminal hands though…. The dealer responsible for the weapon at the show should be charged for failing to properly secure the firearm.
It’s NOT a SBR or SMG, and it is no prototype or rarity! The photograph shows an AR15 pistol, recognizable by the pistol brace instead of a stock!
Don’t worry everyone this is an elaborate obummer holder plan coordinated with our most Crack tsa team to finally prove how dangerous gun shows are, operation fat and delirious. Or a band of traveling gypsies tired of Kmarts beefed up security looking for a new hobby…
Wow – no one is watching and the weapons aren’t on chain locks – how pathetic and now there’s a weapon in the hands of God knows who to be used for God knows what …!!! Shame on the FOOLS running that show … all of them should be fined into bankruptcy
relax bubba, maybe the gun is a non operational demo piece and that’s why it wasn’t locked up.
If it’s an SBR, why would you link to a video where the “reporter” keeps erroneously referring to it as an SMG ??? Are we also going to start encouraging people to call magazines “clips”? :-p. From the picture, it looks like a 9 mm. Someone, who knows what he’s talking about, please clarify the specifications with accurate information.
Talk about piss-poor security….Precision Firearms dropped the ball and whoever is responsible for overall security at the NRA’s Great America Outdoor Show last month in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania should never have allowed these people to escape the building. For Chrissakes some pretty basic Walmart level security must have been absent.
Wait a minute… But according to the liberals if we make the gun laws stricter, things like this can’t happen! Criminals will stop stealing guns or won’t bring them into the country if we offer hugs and more food stamps! Lucky for those professional criminals that procuring a firearm in such a way is not illegal in the present! That would have immediately halted this naughty operation! Obvious the Lefties are onto something: If we make owning an illegal gun illegal, this will never happen again! Bam. Problem solved. Thank me later.
So what happened to the security steel cable that usually ties these pieces to a lock point ?
Racial/Hooded profiling does work, bring it back, Having said that people who steal firearms are up to no Good and we need some laws for the Thieves, You steal a Firearm or Firearms you should be charged with one count of attempted murder for each firearm stolen. And must serve a mandatory max -sentence.
If some one is murdered by a firearm you have stolen, and even though someone else pulled the trigger, You should be charged with capitol murder and face the death penality.
You can only charge the person who is found with said firearm…
Death penitently is only available in few state’s… There is federal laws, that they should get .. 15-25 sounds like a good number..
The gentleman that placed the weapon in the bag can be charged as he participated in the concealment. The third person could possibly be charged with complicity.
What is a”death penitently”?
These thieves need to be caught and prosecuted to the extent the law will allow. I pray that the gun is recovered before it is used.
A method shop lifters have used and use all the time. I question why they call it a machine gun when it is just a SBR AR15 9mm. Usually at the NRA &Shot Shows they remove the firing pins too. At least they were white. They will be arrested and prosecuted when the trio is caught.
Sure lets teach the world how to do it ! Next that gun should of had a cable with a lock and key. Common sense missed the boat on this one
I’m baffled as to why these guns at an outdoor gun show are not properly secured…I mean, seriously?!
Probably trained Feds from the appearance of black hat dude and brown and white hat dude physical build. Think I have seen the woman before at another gun show but in a uniform.
I can’t believe that worked. They need walmart security they wouldn’t have gotten out the door…seriously lackadaisical security for any firearm shop let alone a proto sbr…I guess they didnt want to wait on the sbr paperwork.
Professional thieves. Even if caught, they’ll probably get a slap on the wrist, unless the Feds step in. Why those guns were loose is beyond me. I can only hope that whomever takes the place of the idiot who set up the display, that they do a better job.
Of course the feds will step in. It’s a felony theft of firearm.
While it’s important to catch the thieves and retrieve the firearm, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to broadcast their method of operation. Now everyone will be wanting to try that trick. I hope they are caught and justice served, the gun community doesn’t need this type of person among our ranks.
They will catch these guys. I sure hope we get a detailed look into their lives. I think it would be very enlightening.