Jeep Owner Uses Blank Shotgun Shells to Foil Thieves

By Detroit Steel - December 29, 2016

Never, Ever Mess With a Wrangler Owner’s Stuff.

If there are any trolls lurking around here at JK Forum, remember this: Jeep owners are not to be messed with.

Nope, not under any circumstances. But that especially holds true when it comes to anything remotely connected to their vehicles.

A few unknowing thieves learned that first-hand when Wrangler owner Jaireme Barrow of Tacoma, Washington finally decided he’d had enough of them stealing Jeep parts off his front porch, according to a Jalopnik report. To keep the crooks away, Barrow developed a contraption that sets off a 12-gauge shotgun blank that would scare off the bravest of thieves, as highlighted in the videos below.

The frightening “boom box” is actually pretty clever. The main parts of the contraption include an ordinary cardboard box, the core element of the trap. An aluminum part inside holds the 12-gauge blank shell, and a small plate holds down the firing pin. The finish line is then attached to the plate on one end, and to the front door handle inside the house on the other. Then, when the line is pulled, the plate is moved, and releases the pin, firing the blank.

jeep-contraption

Bricks are added to weigh the package down, and wood helps to prevent the device from shifting.

Now, before anyone starts casting judgment, know this: nobody was actually hurt by Barrow’s device. And it’s not like he said, “Hey, Mr. Thief, why don’t you try to steal these Jeep parts off my porch so I can scare the living daylights out of you.”

Still, we probably wouldn’t advise other Jeep owners to take this kind of approach to keep thieves at bay. But in all honesty, we can appreciate the fact that Barrow found a clever way to get even.