Texas Felon Cops To Gun Store Burglary, Theft Of Firearms

AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

A Lubbock man admitted to stealing a number of firearms. According to a report, 49 year old Mark Anthony Lara pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. The whole case baffles me, as the pela is for the possession charge, but what about the stealing? From the report:

Advertisement

A Lubbock man admitted to stealing 38 firearms from Gebo’s Distributing, Inc. near 50th and Ave. A. Mark Anthony Lara, 49, pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

On May 28, 2021, police were called to a burglary around 1 a.m. at Gebo’s. Investigators found four of the firearms in a field next to the business. The other 34 guns were missing.

Surveillance video shows the suspect had a backpack, two mesh laundry bags and a crowbar. The suspect filled the bags with the 38 stolen guns and left out of one of the doors of the business, according to the police report.

A few days later, on May 30, Lara and a female were pulled over during a traffic stop by a Lubbock County Sheriff’s Deputy. During the traffic stop, investigators say the barrel end of a pistol could be seen underneath the front passenger seas where the woman was sitting. Police found fire firearms in the vehicle. One was in the trunk wrapped inside a red, stained hoodie – which was seen in the surveillance footage from the Gebo’s burglary.

Former reporting did note that he was subject to a Federal grand jury on charges of theft of firearms, possession of stolen firearms and convicted felon in possession of firearms. Perhaps that has not all been hashed out yet, as the article continued:

Advertisement

He faces up to 10 years in federal prison with the possibility for parole.

Lara admitted on May 30, 2021, he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding on year and he knowingly possess in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce firearms.

His re-arraignment is set for August 25.

The whole situation highlights many of the issues that the anti-freedom caucus likes to bring up when it comes to so-called “commonsense gun safety.” The incitement that Lara was under is a trifecta that puts to bed many of the freedom limiting “gun control” arguments.

Count 1- Felon in possession of firearms. Lara having a prior criminal history and being federally disqualified from firearm possession did not stop him from possessing the firearms. That silly law did not stop him.

Count 2- Possession of stolen firearms. Disqualified persons generally benefit from purchasing their firearms off of the black market. Those firearms are either stolen or resultant of straw purchases. People are not supposed to knowingly possess stolen firearms. Which, is perhaps a moot argument given the next count.

Count 3- Theft of firearms. To pull it all together, Lara allegedly did the stealing on his own. If that does not cap off the situation, I don’t know what will.

Advertisement

The anti-freedom caucus pushes for things like so-called “universal background checks” and other freedom limiting measures. States like California, New York, and New Jersey, to name a few, have strict permitting laws on people being able to procure firearms. None of the possession or purchase laws of any of the the states in the Union would have stood between Lara and the firearms. He wanted them, so he took them. It’s that simple.

The circumstances of Lara’s status as a felon are not known, however, this is clearly a person that is in the system. For criminals, where there is a will, there is a way. From one account, we can surly see the truth to that statement:

While searching the inside of the business, investigators found a black rope hanging from a vent in the ceiling. They assume this is how the suspect got in.

Mission impossible? Lara thinks not.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Sponsored