Posted Monday, March 18, 2013 --- 10:25 a.m.

Press Release from the Beloit Police Department:

Beloit Police Department is asking gun owners help to be responsible owners of fire arms in the city. This request or reminder comes after another incident where weapons were stolen and the owner is unable to provide all of the serial numbers for their safe return.

Sometime after 2:30, in the afternoon, on March 13, 2013, a rear window was broken out of a residence in the 1500 block of Cleveland Avenue, Beloit. Burglars enter the building, took several valuable items that we see consistently taken in community burglaries. Of course two flat screen televisions were removed from the house and one computer laptop. Five more items were taken from the house and here is where our plea begins.

Five guns were taken from this residence, each very valuable to the owner and important to the community. The owner provided two of five needed serial numbers on these weapons, making it incredibly difficult to return three of the weapons if they are found or worst yet, identify where the weapons came from if they should be used in a crime.

The weapons taken were:
-Mossburg 500 shot gun .
-22 Ithaca rifle
-.32 special Winchester 94 rifle
-.380 Taurus handgun
-.38 Special Charter Ammo revolver

Also taken were several hundred rounds of ammunition, holsters and gun parts.

The Beloit Police Department wants everyone in Beloit who owns a weapon to be a conscientious owner. If you keep weapons in your house, they should be locked away securely. The serial numbers for these weapons should be recorded and kept in a safe place in your home. Serial numbers are required in order to enter them into a stolen gun data base. Please be a responsible gun owner so should your property be taken, the police have a better chance of returning it to its rightful owner.