It takes about an hour to drive from Jamestown to Tionesta, Pa.; between 2 and three hours to drive from Jamestown to Mansfield, Pa.; and between three and 3 hours to travel from Jamestown to Wysox, Pa.

Those trips are one way, by the way. By our calculations, two Jamestown men spent roughly 14 hours, not including stops for gas and food, to make three trips into Pennsylvania between May 29 and June 20 and steal 93 guns from gun shops in three Pennsylvania towns. Surely, one wouldn’t go to such lengths if there wasn’t money to be made selling those guns to those who can’t legally purchase weapons thanks to New York’s SAFE Act.

It was good work by the Jamestown Police Department – and a little blind luck, too – that the first gun was found back on June 17 when police officers saw one of the men walking on South Main Street. The man had an outstanding bench warrant, so he could be arrested on the spot. He happened to be carrying a gun that had been reported stolen from the Mansfield burglary. Further investigation by Jamestown police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms led to recovery of 55 of the guns from various Jamestown locations.

No one knows, yet, the whereabouts of the other 38 guns. It should be frightening, especially after the shooting death of a Jamestown man who was standing on his front porch a couple of weeks ago, that there are 38 stolen guns out on the street. It also shouldn’t be surprising. For all of its tough talk, most reasonable people knew the SAFE Act was a law that wouldn’t keep guns out of the hands of those who can’t buy them and who really want them.

One of the two men arrested last week in connection with the three gun shop burglaries faces 55 years in prison while his counterpart faces 35 years. Perhaps they should face additional time of one of the 38 guns that haven’t been recovered yet are found to have been used in a shooting. One of the nation’s toughest gun laws didn’t stop these men from getting their hands on a sizeable cache if weapons. Perhaps lengthy jail terms will serve as a better deterrent for anyone who wants to continue their black market selling guns in our neighborhoods.