A lot more stolen guns are out on the streets Thursday and in the hands of criminals.
Thieves busted down the front door of a Rockville gun shop overnight and made off with a whole lot of handguns and some rifles.
The burglary was caught on high definition cameras.
It's video and audio that takes you right inside the break in as it happens, but the suspects were wearing masks and gloves and moving fast. It's going to take someone who really knows them to recognize who they are.
They were calm and methodical from start to finish. Alarm blaring after they pried open the reinforced front door, the two thieves smashed display cases with crowbars.
They pulled out 24 handguns and shoved them into bags they'd brought along for the job.
Fifty-five seconds in, one of the crooks starts pulling rifles or shotguns off the wall. Then as if with a stopwatch, at one minute and ten seconds in, the apparent leader orders an escape.
At 1:22 a.m., loaded down with and armful of long guns and the heavy bag of handguns, they headed out the door.
By the time police arrived about four and a half minutes later, they were long gone.
Three doors down from the gun shop, roofing company owner Betty Armstrong is worried.
"It's definitely a concern," she said. "You got people out on the streets, illegal, they have guns. They could be using them for other robberies. Which I'm sure that's what they have in mind."
The owners of United Gun Shop are already rushing to get back in business. Too busy, they say, to talk to the media.
Although United is the rare gun shop in the area that's happy to talk to reporters about gun issues.
On the stores website, there is a brief note that says "We will be closed Thursday due to theft."
Neighbors say they're eager for them to re-open.
"I like them down the street," said Armstrong. "Police officers are here and it's more protected. We like them. They're great, great neighbors. Fantastic."
There was also a camera someplace outside that caught the thieves in their getaway car, but it was nowhere near as good as the camera inside. All police could make out of the vehicle was that it was a light-colored, four-door Sedan.
Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000. They definitely do not want all those guns in the hands of criminals.
