THEFT WARNING...

[pbwalker]

...I just called the office of the Houston Gun Collector's Assn.....the secretary there was very friendly and helpful...she told me that she had gotten the information from a member and she, in fact, DID send it out to the membership as a warning without taking the time to verify all the info...she felt that it would benefit them...
...it's on 8 or more gun-related sites, one of them has a post from a member saying he personally knows two members it happened to and it cost them over $20,000 worth of shotguns...

where the picture of the car and tire came from off someone's facebook...who knows...

It came off the Facebook page of the lady who fabricated the story. (from what I've gathered)

ETA: Either way, it all boils down to safety and awareness. If believing Aliens will teleport weapons out of your car if you leave them in there causes one to take them in the house or secure them in a better manner, then the same result is reached.

[speedsix]

...I don't know who invented the story, but the attributed source, Houston Gun Collectors Assn., DID send it out, and it's all over the country...I've only found one forum who attributes it to the lady you posted about...she may have just passed it on...or embellished it...
...I'm going to contact Gunsite to see if the warning that was mentioned here: http://calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=518882" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was also sent out by them...the Gunsite link now shows "Page not found"

...I wouldn't know about your aliens theory...don't hang with that type...

[pbwalker]

[speedsix]

...just talked to Gunsite and they said they DID, in fact, say what the post says they did...one of their instructors who was at the Nationals told them all about it...but when it circulated, someone called the SAPD, and they said they didn't know about it...so they pulled the warning from the Gunsite site...

...so both attributed sources DID put out the information...some individuals who only wanted to help the shooting community put it out...and it may or may not have happened on the scale the warning I copied here says it did...that's a long way from bogus...

[Seabear]

A tail-light I can understand...you drive behind the cars looking for them.

A tire mark? No, you would have to get out and walk between each car individually to see if there is a mark. Too time-intensive and increases the likelihood of detection. Simpler to drive past vehicles from behind and eyeball them.

That's exactly how it was explained to the guys from here that got their shotguns stolen. It was not on the tires. The officer they spoke to said that one guy can hang out and tag vehicles and then when another gang member elsewhere in the area spot a sticker on a tail light while cruising parking lots, they know it is worth popping. Makes perfect sense to me. I look for stickers if I have valuables in the truck.

[PvilleStang]

Thought: If these guys are getting hit after hitting up the gun stores and ranges, they're may be cameras outside the facilities in the parking lot. Look for suspicious people walking around the backs of all the cars, and confirm this. Until then, I'll call bull on it, plain and simple. I realize some places are a little harder to monitor, but there's got to be a handful that have lot cameras and could be cases for confirmation.

[psijac]

Targeting Gunowners seems like a stupid idea. High end shotguns are hard to fence. Pawnshops will always check/report the serial numbers of a gun. You can try to sell a gun to another gang banger but you will never get full market value for it. If they are targeting the cars of gun owners why not just break into police cars? They are already marked for you, come with huge bragging rights and the likelyhood of getting shot if caught in the act is just about the same

[speedsix]

...you might think so till you see the gun collections of some dope dealers...they do have more of a life than just scurryin' 'round under the street lights...and they have to spend that money SOMEWHERE...

[Matt78665]

Before going to Nursing School, I was in management at Firestone. The spots on the tires mark the heaviest spot on the tire. It helps to know that when balancing them for installation.

[steveincowtown]

Tin foil hat type stuff. Those are tire balancing marks.

This

Before going to Nursing School, I was in management at Firestone. The spots on the tires mark the heaviest spot on the tire. It helps to know that when balancing them for installation.

The spots have become even more common with some of the new balancing equipment that balances using the heavy point in the tire and the heavy point in the rim. I just put 315's on my Dodge and ended up having to get to know more about this than I ever wanted.

That being said, IHMO, those who leave weapons un secure in their vehicles are bad for the cause.

[Chemist45]

The gangs do this on wheels or bumpers at gun stores, shooting ranges, gun shows etc.

They're following people from gunshows?
What are they after, the jewelry or the cinnamon almonds?

[Dcav]

Complete bull. I work at a New car Dealership, every new car has the dot on them, they assist in balancing tires marking the heavy spots.

[srothstein]

Well, I am not sure how important the dots on the tires are because the story in the first posts says the dot was placed on the license plate or bum,per.

But, I was sure it was a fraud the first time I read it. One way you can usually tell a fraud is that the terminology used is not correct. Look for bad spelling or bad grammar or someone using the wrong terms. In Texas, we do not have the Chief of Police of the County in most cases. Also, it refers to San Antonio, not Bexar County. While the wrong terminology is not a sure thing, I assumed it was not written by anyone familiar with the US, especially not Texas. I might be wrong, but it gave me a working hypothesis to use.

[gigag04]

But it has to be true - I read it on the internets.

[speedsix]

...well, it fooled Houston Gun Collector's Assn...Gunsite added to it and verified it...so it was a lot of well-meaning people trying to help anyways, with the exception maybe of the lady on Facebook that someone found and posted here...and look at all the entertainment it's provided to those firmly rooted in the tire industry...that's gotta be worth something...here come the buzzards...this one's been picked to death...