If you’re a criminal looking to score a whole lot of guns you can then turn around and sell on the black market, you’ve got to hit a gun store.

Sure, you might luck up and find a home with a lot of guns, but unless you know who has them and who doesn’t, it could take years to finally break into the right home or combination of homes.

That’s why gun stores are such tempting targets for gun thieves.

In San Diego, one such alleged thief is now facing federal charges for his efforts.

A man who allegedly broke into a Poway gun store last year and stole a dozen firearms was arraigned Tuesday on federal charges.

Jaime Angel Zamora, 34, of San Diego, is accused in the Nov. 21, 2021, early morning break-in at Poway Weapons & Gear.

Prosecutors allege Zamora and another suspect pried open the shop’s side door to steal the guns. In all, five semi-automatic pistols and seven semi-automatic rifles were taken.

Citing surveillance footage from the scene, the U.S. Attorney’s Office contends Zamora and the other person can be seen getting into the shop’s gunsmith office and carrying out multiple firearms.

In other words, we’re not exactly talking about a master criminal worthy of song…or at least a movie on Netflix.

No, he’s like every other would-be gun thief who figures they can get away with it.

Unfortunately for him, he got caught.

Unfortunately for everyone else, the weapons haven’t been recovered. They did find ample evidence tying him to the crime, however, including DNA and a bag from the gun store in a stolen van used in the theft.

I honestly hate it for the gun store.

See, people steal from the gun stores, then sell the guns to various butt-nuggets who then use those stolen guns for criminal acts; criminal acts that are then used to justify greater restrictions on firearms, often putting the burden on the gun stores.

It’s just not right.

It’s California, though, and I think the only thing about as tough as running a gun store in California is passing a drug test in Denver. This kind of thing damn sure won’t help, either.

Luckily, the perpetrator was caught and is facing a fair amount of jail time. With luck, in an effort to minimize that time, he’ll tell prosecutors where the guns are and they can be recovered before they’re used for anything.

Yet this is where most of the guns used in violent crimes come from. It’s not lawful gun sales. It’s two-bit wannabe weapons dealers who break into stores and homes, get the guns, then sell them to their slack-jawed criminal friends.

No, I don’t like or respect these people. No, I don’t feel like playing nice about it, either.

They make our lives difficult, all for a quick buck.

If they actually got a real freaking job, they could make money and stay out of prison, but nope. We simply cannot have that from these dipsticks, now can we?