The black market for guns is fueled not by lawfully purchased firearms, but by stolen guns. While a few may be purchased lawfully with the intention of them being sold to criminals, the truth is that most are stolen from either private citizens or gun stores.

Gun thieves love hitting gun stores simply because they can get a lot more guns for the same amount of time. Snagging some dude’s Glock is fine, but it’s even better when you can snag dozens of handguns.

In Michigan, authorities are offering a reward for information on a recent theft there where the crooks stole 49 firearms.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for a northern Michigan gun store.

According to authorities, the burglary happened at about 4:15 a.m., Nov. 21 at Full Bore Firearms, located on Crittenden Court in Alpena. Police said two unknown people threw a brick through the front glass window of the building and stole 49 firearms.

The investigation is being conducted by the Michigan State Police, the ATF, and the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477).

However, I’m just flabbergasted. I mean, it’s bad enough that they stole several dozen firearms–the report doesn’t give us the makeup of the guns stolen–but there’s nothing in the report to suggest these criminals went through their background check or filled out the Form 4473. I mean, these are criminals, but couldn’t they at least be law-abiding criminals?

I mean, just because you break the law for a living doesn’t mean you should, you know, break the law!

Obviously, these are insane positions to maintain, but it’s not all that different than what a certain mayor had to say.

More seriously, though, people who steal guns are particularly problematic because they’re rarely selling them to otherwise law-abiding customers. No, they’re selling them to people who want to use them to commit crimes. They’re fueling the very thing that is used to justify taking our gun rights away.

That’s right. These people steal guns, sell them to criminals who think shoot and rob people, thus handing anti-gunners the best tool they have to justify gun control possible.

Of course, the anti-gunners never bother to acknowledge that this is the real problem. If they did, they’d quickly find out that people don’t want to restrict the actions of the law-abiding when the problem is criminals who are going to keep doing this stuff regardless.

That’s just not something the anti-gun industry can handle. Not when their entire livelihoods are predicated on guns being the problem, not criminals.

Still, if you have any information on this robbery, please notify the ATF. You might make a little money and get guns out of the hands of the criminals and, hopefully, back to the gun stores.

Now, with that said, I have to admit that I’m a little surprised the crooks could find a gun store with 49 firearms available to steal.