Kris Kobach’s guns stolen from truck at Wichita hotel
Senate candidate and former Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach had four guns stolen from his vehicle parked at a Wichita hotel over the weekend.
“Secretary Kobach always has at least one firearm with him for personal protection,” his campaign spokeswoman, Danedri Herbert, said in an email. “In this instance he was transporting long guns to attend a recreational shooting event. He was under the impression that the Drury Hotel garage was under 24 hour surveillance.”
Herbert said that Kobach filed a police report.
“The Wichita Police were very prompt and I appreciate their diligent efforts to find the perpetrator or perpetrators of this crime,” Kobach said in a statement.
Wichita police spokesman Officer Paul Cruz said in an email that police responded to a larceny from auto call at around 11:30 a.m. Saturday at a hotel parking garage in the 400 block of West Douglas. A 54-year-old man told police that someone broke into a pickup truck overnight and stole a rifle, two shotguns and a handgun.
Police ask anyone with information on the case to call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or the See Something Say Something hot line at 316-519-2282.
A police report lists the guns as a Beretta XC sporting clays shotgun worth $1,600, a TriStar Viper sporting clays shotgun worth $700, a Glock 42 .380 worth $550 and a Minuteman Defense carbine rifle with scope worth $3,600.
There was also $165 in damage to the passenger front window. The total loss was listed as $6,615.
The police report states that the crime happened sometime between 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.
Wichita police have previously highlighted the issue of gun thefts from vehicles. They have asked gun owners to stop leaving their weapons in vehicles.
There were 255 guns reported stolen from vehicles in Wichita in 2019.
“These criminals that are out there breaking into cars, they’re not looking to steal that gun for lawful reasons. They’re going to use it for other criminal activities,” police Lt. Scott Brunow previously said.
When Kobach left office as the secretary of state, an unsecured .45-caliber pistol was found in a filing cabinet. An FBI investigation was also launched into 1,000 rounds of ammunition that went missing after they were purchased during Kobach’s tenure.
Kobach is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Pat Roberts. He participated in a radio debate Saturday morning in Wichita where candidates were asked two questions related to gun control. The debate was live-streamed on Facebook by Republican Women United.
Kobach said he would support a national law compelling states to recognize concealed carry licenses from other states. He also said he wants a federal law making it easier for gun owners to buy and own suppressors, and he opposes red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to go through judges to temporarily confiscate guns from people considered to be a danger to themselves or others.
“Gun are a critical element of American liberty ... My position on this issue is clear: we absolutely have to protect Second Amendment rights,” Kobach said during the debate.
This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Kris Kobach’s guns stolen from truck at Wichita hotel."