Livermore gun shop reloading security, merchandise after recent heist

LIVERMORE — A Livermore gun store is open for business after thieves recently rammed a car through the shop’s front door and stole dozens of handguns and several rifles, according to one of the owners.

Damon Butts, owner of East Bay Firearms, told this news organization the reported heist cost him about $40,000 in damages and lost merchandise after robbers broke into his store sometime before 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 25. Livermore Police and the Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are working to catch the perpetrators, though by Saturday, none of the merchandise or thieves had yet been apprehended.

“We’re back in business, and we’re doing well,” Butts said in an interview Saturday. “Livermore PD and the ATF are working really hard to get these guys, and we’ve made significant investments to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

A spokeswoman for the Livermore Police Department declined to release additional information on the case, citing an open investigation. But Butts, who has seen trouble in his store in recent years before, said he has invested tens of thousands of dollars in security, facility improvements and “a lot of high-tech stuff” that will “make ourselves impenetrable,” and hopefully block any future break-ins.

Butts previously shot and killed a 28-year-old Redwood City man, who was wearing a hoodie and mask, who attempted to rob his store with a hammer two years ago. A year later, another man tried to rob his store, Butts said, but the cops caught him a few hours later.

When he arrived at his store on Oct. 25 to shattered glass, a busted up storefront and a slew of missing guns, he said his first reaction was shock.

Over the past week, he said, he’s been hard at work outfitting the store with new street bollards, security cameras, motion sensors and more.

“This is not a continuous thing for us,” Butts said. “We’re not irresponsible in how we handle our guns.”