Cabela’s is under investigation for lax shoplifting prevention after half a million rounds of ammunition was stolen from its Christiana Mall store, the Delaware Department of Justice said in a statement Monday.
Investigators believe that at least 500,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from Cabela’s in less than a year and that a “substantial portion” of it was sold to drug dealers and other criminals in Delaware and Pennsylvania, according to the DOJ.
The Delaware Department of Justice did not immediately respond to questions asking how they know the stolen ammo was sold to criminals or how much of the ammunition went to people committing crimes.
In its release, the DOJ said Cabela’s has failed “to promptly or meaningfully” respond to the state’s subpoena and it was asking Delaware Superior Court to enforce the order against the sporting goods and outdoor store.
The DOJ did not respond to questions asking when they issued the subpoena and Cabela’s parent company, Bass Pro Shops, did not immediately respond for comment about the accusations.
What investigators say happened
The investigation began over reports that substantial amounts of ammo were being stolen from Cabela’s, which at the time stored its ammunition unsecured in the middle of the sales floor and made no apparent effort to stop massive shoplifting, according to the DOJ’s statement which did not say when this was occurring.
After the DOJ sent Cabela’s a subpoena, the company relocated the ammunition behind a sales counter.
The state DOJ’s investigation is focusing on whether Cabela’s violated any laws, including Delaware’s firearms industry public nuisance law, through its hands-off approach to the shoplifting of ammunition.
Other potential violations include the Keshall “KeKe” Anderson Safe Firearms Sales Act. This law, passed last year, is named for KeKe Anderson, an innocent bystander who was killed in a 2016 shooting involving a firearm bought through a straw purchase at Cabela’s.
The law repeals special immunity granted to gun dealers like Cabela’s under state law, making Delaware the first state in the country to repeal a gun industry liability shield.
Anderson’s family filed a civil suit in 2018 against Cabela’s, claiming the store’s negligence caused the 19-year-old’s death when they sold a gun to a woman who then turned it over to her boyfriend who was legally barred from buying a firearm.
Cabela’s argued it could not be held liable because it complied with a state law requiring federal criminal background checks for gun purchasers and was given permission to proceed with the sale. Superior Court Judge Vivian Medinilla agreed with the retailer and threw out the lawsuit.
Two teens pleaded guilty in 2019 in connection with Anderson’s killing.
WHAT HAPPENED:Teens plead guilty in shooting death of Keshall ‘KeKe’ Anderson
Ammo walks out the door
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said Cabela’s watched a half-million rounds of ammunition walk out its doors.
“Ammo isn’t candy,” Jennings said in a statement. “It shouldn’t be left on a sales floor without a meaningful effort to deter shoplifting. Our team has already gotten results and led Cabela’s to store its ammunition more safely, but our investigation isn’t over.”
Jennings added that businesses need to be responsible members of the community and that gun dealers need to take reasonable steps to prevent gun violence.
“Unfortunately, Cabela’s casual storage, and their stonewalling of this investigation, tell us that they still aren’t taking that responsibility seriously,” Jennings said. “We’re asking the court to step in so that we can ensure our neighbors are being kept safe.”
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
LEGAL ACTION:Lawsuit filed against Cabela’s by family of Wilmington woman killed with straw purchase gun
