Las Cruces’ current reality is that youths as young as 14 years old are stealing cars to break into a local gun store at 2 o’clock in the morning.
For those that don’t know, Strykers Shooting World is my family’s business. It is where my husband has turned a passion into a profession and where his mother and stepfather have invested their life savings to build a successful business helping others feed their love of firearms, practice their passion, prepare for their hunts and protect themselves.
It is a staple in the local firearm community. It is where my children will work their first jobs and hopefully inherit a successful small business that aligns with their interests in the outdoors and marksmanship.
The business has consumed hundreds of thousands of dollars in security and fortification to ensure that we are responsible stewards of our wares, that some would use for ill will.
We are not naïve – we know that firearms, in the wrong hands, are deadly weapons. Strict federal laws and background checks ensure our customers are legally authorized to procure a firearm. At night, lengthy closing procedures seek to protect the merchandise to the greatest extent possible.
And yet, it was not enough. Last week, to our profound dismay, we became a conduit for stolen firearms to find their way into the hands of at least six youth criminals. The damages can be repaired. The monetary loss can be mitigated. But the guilt will never subside.
Every time, from now on, that I read about a gun crime in our area, I will never be able to shake the notion that it might be one of our firearms. That our passion, our family business, our livelihood has caused harm to the victim and our community as a whole.
My heart aches for the other victims in this particular crime. Two cars were stolen to be used in this burglary. That is likely profoundly financially impactful to those vehicle owners who probably took pride in their cars that are now almost certainly a loss.
And I mourn the children who committed the crime. One was 14 years old. The others, 15 and 16. Children who can’t possibly understand the path they are on. A path that only leads to one place. I mourn the future they will almost certainly never have, because of the choices they’ve already made.
I hope that they can be rehabilitated, but with the propensity of repeat youth offenders that grows ever prevalent in New Mexico, I fear they will continue to be forgotten by our society.
I can’t imagine the frustration of our police officers that have to continuously pick up the pieces left in the wake of juvenile delinquents and their crime sprees. In this case, some arrests came less than 72 hours after the crime.
My interpretation: the police knew immediately who the kids were from their long list of previous encounters with them, none pleasant. Some firearms were recovered, thankfully, but more are scattered to the winds, in the hands of others likely on the same path to destruction. The Las Cruces Police Department deserves our most sincere gratitude for their swift response and action to seek justice in this crime.
Within our family, we received numerous calls and messages from local elected and city officials, asking how to help and extending their concern. To them I say: thank you and please help our community.
Help small business owners who face vandalism, shoplifting and burglaries every day. Help single mothers who wake up to find their only mode of transportation stolen in the night. Help our forgotten, misguided youth find a path to redemption, even if it means they must be incarcerated to understand that life has consequences, even for criminals who, up to now, in their entire lives, have had none.
It isn’t comfortable to have to ask for legislation that helps to hold 14-year-olds accountable for violent or extreme crimes, but right now, our community needs pragmatism over popularity.
Shawna Pfeiffer is a life-long Dona Ana County Resident, graduate of NMSU, small business owner, hobby farmer, dog-lover, outdoor enthusiast and mother to two young children. She can be reached at srpfeiffer1@gmail.com.
