http://www.insidedenver.com/news/0820guns5.shtml
Rare firearms stolen from traveling museum
By Hector Gutierrez
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Denver police were searching Saturday for vintage firearms that were stolen from a traveling museum.
Among the collectible weapons stolen Friday from the Greater Museum of Military and Period Antiques Inc. were 12 rare rifles, shotguns and automatic rifles manufactured during the 1800s and early 1900s and used by troops during World War I and WWII.
The thieves also took seven Magnum handguns, including a .44-caliber Ruger black powder, a .44-caliber Colt Anaconda, a .45-caliber Ruger Blackhawk and an 1847 .44-caliber Colt Walker.
The guns still can be fired, which worries Todd Von Bender, the museum's curator.
"Whose hands are they going into?" Von Bender said. "Most handguns are designed to handle modern cartridges."
Von Bender said at least one of the stolen weapons, a Lefever shotgun, could pose a danger to the person firing it. Modern ammunition would cause the gun to explode, Von Bender said.
The Lefever 12-gauge, with a 30-inch barrel, is the most expensive antique stolen from the collection. It is valued at $3,500.
Some of the firearms were foreign-made and would be extremely hard to replace, Von Bender said. They include rifles and guns manufactured in Germany, Belgium, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina.
The stolen guns are valued at more than $20,000.
Von Bender's museum is offering a reward for information leading to the return of the gun collection or the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Information: (303) 363-6000.
© Copyright, Denver Publishing Co
Rare firearms stolen from traveling museum
By Hector Gutierrez
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Denver police were searching Saturday for vintage firearms that were stolen from a traveling museum.
Among the collectible weapons stolen Friday from the Greater Museum of Military and Period Antiques Inc. were 12 rare rifles, shotguns and automatic rifles manufactured during the 1800s and early 1900s and used by troops during World War I and WWII.
The thieves also took seven Magnum handguns, including a .44-caliber Ruger black powder, a .44-caliber Colt Anaconda, a .45-caliber Ruger Blackhawk and an 1847 .44-caliber Colt Walker.
The guns still can be fired, which worries Todd Von Bender, the museum's curator.
"Whose hands are they going into?" Von Bender said. "Most handguns are designed to handle modern cartridges."
Von Bender said at least one of the stolen weapons, a Lefever shotgun, could pose a danger to the person firing it. Modern ammunition would cause the gun to explode, Von Bender said.
The Lefever 12-gauge, with a 30-inch barrel, is the most expensive antique stolen from the collection. It is valued at $3,500.
Some of the firearms were foreign-made and would be extremely hard to replace, Von Bender said. They include rifles and guns manufactured in Germany, Belgium, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina.
The stolen guns are valued at more than $20,000.
Von Bender's museum is offering a reward for information leading to the return of the gun collection or the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Information: (303) 363-6000.
© Copyright, Denver Publishing Co