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There were a significant number of Colt Collection guns stolen and illegally traded by an employee of the CT State Library around 1980.
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Thievery of any kind really gets my goat, but that sort of stealing breaks my heart. The custodians of our history have a special trust and virtually all of them are top notch people who do what they do for the love of the job. But that tiny, tiny percentage who take advantage of their position don't just break that trust. Beyond the physical value of the artifacts that are lost and beyond the intangible value of the lost history, the museum must divert precious funds to additional security or, perhaps, just limit access to those artifacts that remain.
Many years ago, thieves broke into the Idaho State Historical Society and stole the silver set from the battleship USS Idaho. It was a gorgeous, priceless piece of our history and it was probably melted down for a few dollars an ounce. It still gets me wound up.
