A Mercer County gun shop is one of at least four gun shop burglary incidents 21 News has covered since April of 2023 and it turns out, this is a growing concern across that country that has led to federal legislation to prevent stolen guns.

Griffin Arms gun shop in Stoneboro, Mercer County, had an attempted burglary on Sunday morning. 

Owner Josh Clark said he's grateful his security measures stopped them from getting inside.

"They smashed out the lock, smashed the window. They tried to smash through the shutters that I have, but they were unsuccessful, which is good," Clark said, "A lot of these places get broken into and they are successful in stealing guns."

This comes as lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland have introduced the SECURE Firearm Storage Act aimed to address the problem of "smash and grab" gun store burglaries by requiring all firearms to be securely stored when a federally licensed gun dealer is not open for business.

"We know that more often than not, guns that are stolen end up, unfortunately, being used in the commission of additional crimes," Democratic Congressman Johnny Olszewski of Marland's second congressional district, said. 

Clark says his shop already has strong measures in place, and that people attempting to steal guns should be held more accountable,  but said the last thing he wants is someone to steal a gun from his store that could potentially evoke violence.

"You're dealing with not only people's livelihoods, but you're also dealing with security of your community too," Clark said, "I don't, as an FFL, want to have my guns out on the street being used for nefarious purposes."

The legislation states it would also authorize the Attorney General to review and put forth additional security measures to reduce the risk of theft and require a new section for gun dealer applicants to describe security plans.