Seventy One Guns Stolen During Move
BY Herschel Smith
1 month, 2 weeks ago
CHARLOTTE — Police said 71 guns were stolen while being moved from Bessemer City to Alaska and the safes they were locked in were later found busted open along a road in north Charlotte. One of the stolen guns has already been recovered from a convicted felon, but the gun owner says he’s praying the rest don’t end up in the wrong hands.
The gun owner hired movers to get his things from Bessemer City to Fairbanks, Alaska.
He said he doesn’t know how it happened.
Police found the empty safes on Vance Davis Drive earlier this month.
The safes had dozens of firearms in them.
“Oh, I was devastated,” said the victim who didn’t want to be identified.
The victim is a gun collector. The safes were supposed to be stored in public storage off West Arrowood Road until they could be sent to Alaska.
However, they were found dumped nearly 20 miles away along an industrial road.
“I tried to do everything right by the law,” he said. “I kept them all locked up all the time and then, this happens, so now, it’s pretty bad actually.”
The police report lists all 71 guns with an estimated worth of nearly $40,000.
The moving company told police they hired two movers from Craigslist.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers pulled a car over in south Charlotte weeks after finding the emptied safes on the side of the road.
Sylvester Miller, a convicted felon, was in the car and officers said he had a gun.
The firearm was traced back to one of the stolen guns from those safes.
He’s now facing charges, but it’s not clear if he’s being investigated as a suspect in the theft.
That sounds awful. Seventy one guns. So much for Craigslist.
I’m not sure how I would do it if I had to move that many guns that far away. I’d like to hear suggestions in the comments.
On August 3, 2025 at 9:33 pm, Clint said:
I am very particular about my guns. When I moved, I unloaded my safe completely and transported all the items under my care only. Granted I only moved across town. In this situation, I would have rented a truck or van and wrapped all my firearms in protective covers (blankets, sheets or whatever). I would loaded these into the vehicle and transport them myself with two person control at all times. Yet it would be inconvenient, but you’d have your guns reliably transported to their new home, and likely have your safes still intact. Safes are not cheap either.
On August 3, 2025 at 9:37 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Yeah I thought about that. But let’s say you’re moving across the country. You have to sleep somewhere. How do you protect your firearms then? A parked moving truck is a target.
On August 3, 2025 at 11:09 pm, Michael Giilson said:
Would it be possible to disquise the gun storage? Lock up the guns in more safes that hold fewer guns each, then conceal the safes in other items, like chest freezers, refrigerators, inside couch and bed frames?
On August 3, 2025 at 11:30 pm, Dan said:
It’s a virtual certainty this was an inside job involving someone working for the moving company. These companies will hire literally ANYONE. And a safe is an enormous neon sign saying something of value is inside.
On August 4, 2025 at 2:08 am, Nosmo said:
The first step in OPSEC is, well, OPSEC. If one hires people to move a safe, unless it’s a bonded and insured safe and lock company that has demonstrated the ability to maintan confidentiality, OPSEC goes to zero.
Same goes for whatever contractors you let into your house. Which is why so many people recommend hiding safes inside closets, and crating them when they’re moved, and strenously concealing the existence of any valuables. .
Insurance companies are notoriously reluctant to extend coverage on guns in homeowners’ policies, I wonder if there’s any insurance company that will write temporary coverage to cover things like moving. But that, just like suing the moving company in this case, only gets money and doesn’t replace irreplaceable collector-grade firearms.
On August 4, 2025 at 8:25 am, Herschel Smith said:
Except that most (all?) moving companies refuse to transport firearms across state lines, and most refuse to transport them at all. I’m not sure how he got this company to agree to the move.
On August 4, 2025 at 9:02 am, 41mag said:
Moved safes 1800 miles via moving company. Their box truck.
We had the safes loaded (mostly empty) FIRST followed by heavy objects that were cumbersome to move. If the looters wanted the items, they’d have to work for it. Things like tables, concrete artwork, etc. Lots of storage bins were filled with antiques or tools that were inherited. Movers did the moving and the safes were so heavy they’d have to take the whole thing.
On August 4, 2025 at 10:02 am, James said:
I would say though pricy how about for longer move were your friends are not in your control at all times how about FFL transfers,again,pricy but worth it.
I have a safe out in open to a degree in home,always has 100 cash and some costume jewelry and a few fake documents,I do have many other security measures including longer term stored guns not needed in a moments notice have firing pins/bcg’s ect. removed,at least they are not ready to be used without work.
On August 4, 2025 at 10:18 am, Herschel Smith said:
The FFL transfer option also occurred to me, but as you say, that’s pricey. Transport costs for the FFL + transfer fee.
On August 4, 2025 at 11:09 am, JG said:
I helped a friend move his guns and ammo about 1500 miles across the country last year. He rented a U-Haul along with a trailer for his truck. The guns were locked in the safes which were lain down on their backs and covered with ammo and other household items. Getting through all that to get to the safes, while not impossible, would have taken some effort. We switched off driving, making a single overnight stop along the way. The overnight stay where we both needed to get some shut-eye was potentially risky, but it worked out. I think this is the only way to securely move your guns cross country.
On August 4, 2025 at 11:14 am, JG said:
Re: Moving companies–I think it is a misconception that they won’t move guns across state lines. My friend got bids from 5-6 of them, and all of them would transport his guns, though NOT ammo. Of course they required the guns to be unloaded, but I don’t think there were any other restrictions. Ultimately my friend decided to do it himself, with help from me.
On August 4, 2025 at 11:58 am, Hoss Green said:
It seems to me that a reputable moving company would have their own workers, and certainly would not have to resort to craig’s list for help.
On August 4, 2025 at 3:35 pm, Steady Steve said:
That far of a move should be a DIY thing. Another thing the gentleman didn’t think of is transport thru Canada. I think it would be a paperwork nightmare even with a bonded and insured company and the firearms locked in safes. The other way is in a container by sea. At least it would be easier dealing with US Customs.
On August 4, 2025 at 9:10 pm, Ozark Redneck said:
I think JG’s idea with a U-haul trailer attached to your truck would be what I would do. With some serious locks for the U-haul and trailer hitch if you needed to stop for the night. My friend moved his brother from Alaska to Montana a decade back, and that is what they did. He sent all the usual stuff via moving truck and packed the u-haul with guns, gold, silver and other stuff he did not want to be ‘misplaced’.
On August 4, 2025 at 10:05 pm, Swede said:
Be nice to know what State Bessemer City is in. Seems like people always assume their little corner of the world is known to everyone.
On August 4, 2025 at 11:01 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
I would have driven them cross country to Seattle, then rented a container and put them on a ship to Alaska. If possible, get a berth on the ship so I could travel with the container, as well. I wouldn’t even try to drive such a collection up the Alaska Highway through Kanadia.
On August 5, 2025 at 12:34 pm, xtphreak said:
Swede
Bessemer City is 30 miles west of Charlotte.
7 miles west of Gastonia.
All three in NC.
There’s this thing on the InterWeb called Google Search.
Try it.
Have a Good Day
On August 6, 2025 at 10:19 pm, X said:
Demographics of the movers?
On August 8, 2025 at 7:29 am, Latigo Morgan said:
Okay, updating my comment – forget the container vessel.
Drive to Bellingham, Wa and either put my vehicles (let’s assume a truck/large SUV and an enclosed utility trailer) on a ferry, which doesn’t dock in Anchorage, but gets me close and I can ride on it; or a barge, which is slower but docks in Anchorage.
https://www.ferrytravel.com/bellingham.htm
On August 8, 2025 at 4:33 pm, Grunt said:
Helped a guy I know load his truck for a move 3 states away. He had many guns, didn’t personally count, but over 30. He later told me that moving more than a specified number of guns over state lines is illegal, something like 10 guns. Not sure if fact, but he’s a reliable guy. He did the drive in 2.5 days, 2 hotel stops due to his age and inability to make those long drives anymore. He has a topper on his pickup, but didn’t rely on the toppet latch only, he thru bolted two latches and padlocked them. Well,, that will keep a badly equipped thief out.
On August 8, 2025 at 5:31 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
If you’re moving cross country, whatever you do, don’t plan on spending the night in Albuquerque. There’s a good chance you won’t have anything left in the morning, if they don’t steal your vehicle outright (this includes rental moving trucks and trailers). Heard more than one tale of woe on the local news, yet hotels and motels do nothing to improve security.
On August 9, 2025 at 3:11 am, dave in pa. said:
what I did was to get a lot of those tall moving boxes they use for coats and things.
one or two long guns in each one and clothes to hide them. don’t make a big deal out of it
either. low key is the way. ammo was boxed up like books. small boxes only.
I had 3 people helping me that I KNEW for years. one to stand guard (Philly) and two helping me. granted it was only on the other side of the state. still a 5-6 hour drive.
planning it all out took the most time. like when and how to do the move. best times to load and leave. the safes I had, I gave away to people I knew that where staying in Philly
they got them AFTER I had moved out already. just seeing a safe, “they” starting thinking
about what you might have in them. and the more time “they” have to think about what MIGHT be in your safe, the bigger it gets. the stash/haul “they ” will get from stealing it.
it just how people think. to them, it is loaded with gold and silver, money and other goodies.
On August 11, 2025 at 2:11 pm, Don W Curton said:
First move across country, the moving company was one that advertised that your goods are loaded onto a dedicated truck with a dedicated crew to load and then drive. No locals or craigslist hires. That dedicated crew then drives the truck directly to the new address (you can actually follow the truck if your schedule allows) and then unloads at the new address. There is no stopping, no unattended storage, no unload to a warehouse, no switching trucks, etc. Also no sharing a truck with another person (happened one time long ago, I didn’t have enough to fill a truck so my stuff got tossed in with someone else’s). Shipped my guns while locked in the gun safe with no problems. Had to lie a little on the paperwork was all, since the company said they couldn’t transport firearms. There was a wink and a nod about me signing off that the gun safe was empty.
Second time the company sponsored movers had a dedicated driver, but hired locals to load/unload. Made me nervous (the locals who did the loading were most likely meth heads). So I didn’t ship the guns. I laid the gun safe flat in my truck, bolted it to the frame, then put the guns in (cushioned by quilts). The loaded a lot of other stuff on top to hide it. Then drove 28 hrs straight, no stopping, no sleeping, across 4 states. I was much younger then, probably couldn’t do it today. Not a great option, really.
Not planning another move, but I wonder about “PODS”. You load your own stuff in to a storage container, the company picks it up and transports it across country to your new house, you then unload it yourself again. No one gets to see what’s inside it, so maybe safer? I really don’t know.
On August 13, 2025 at 3:51 pm, SamlAdams said:
Lot fewer guns, but moved from Westhchester NY to western Virginia. Had two small safes loaded in the van-demonstrated empty to the movers. Wrapped all the long guns in moving blankets. Loaded in the bed of my Jeep, covered with other items I was moving personally and did an early morning “thunder run” straight to my new home. Didn’t even stop until out of New York/New Jersey. Jersey in notorious for ignoring the “in transit” Federal law.