Lake County Guns on South Main Street was burglarized sometime between 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Lt. Brad Rasmussen said Thursday.
Rasmussen said that four .22-caliber rifles were taken from the store.
The burglars smashed out a portion of the front window and took the guns from a nearby gun rack, Rasmussen said.
Last week there was an attempted burglary at another business in the small commercial complex in the 400 block of South Main Street where Lake County Guns is located, said Rasmussen.
“There were some similarities seen between both of them so we're investigating the possibility that they are related,” said Rasmussen. “We don't know for sure. But there is evidence that indicates that they were.”
Commercial burglaries aren't common in Lakeport, said Rasmussen. The most recent took place in October, when Express Mart, Dream Machine Customs and West Lake Auto were hit, but the cases weren't related, Rasmussen said.
At Express Mart, the thieves got in through a window, while at Dream Machine Customs the burglars gained access through the door, said Rasmussen. Arrests were made in those cases.
In the fall of 2002, there were several commercial burglaries in the city in which locks were forced. The burglaries took place shortly before the murder of Barbara LaForge. Police reported that those crimes were not related.
The last significant series of commercial burglaries took place in 2000, said Rasmussen. The suspect ultimately hit 17 businesses, and was arrested while committing a burglary in San Mateo. The man was later sentenced to prison.
Rasmussen said he hasn't observed a pattern of stolen firearms in Lake County.
When guns are stolen, they tend to be sold for much less than their value. Guns must be registered and transferred through a licensed gun dealer, said Rasmussen. The gun shop's owner, Clifton Rakic, told Lake County News on Wednesday that the rifles were valued at about $100 each.
The state runs an automated listing of stolen firearms as well as a database of stolen property, said Rasmussen. If the guns are later recovered by law enforcement, they would be identified through that system and Lakeport Police would be notified.
More than 10 years ago, a Coast to Coast store that used to be located near the current location of Grocery Outlet, at the corner of Lakeport Boulevard and South Main Street, was burglarized, and dozens of guns were taken, said Rasmussen.
Lakeport Police have continued to receive reports of the guns taken in that burglary being found in various locations, including the Bay Area, where they either were used in crimes or found during police searches of vehicles, said Rasmussen.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
