Four thieves smashed their way into the Dragonman gun store and shooting range in Colorado Springs and stole 65 guns, and the shop’s owner said Monday they’re lucky he wasn’t there at the time.

“There’s a lot of idiots out there,” said Mel “Dragon Man” Bernstein, owner of a gun museum, the Dragonman gun store and shooting range in Colorado Springs that was burglarized Sunday night. “I’m the most armed man in America. I have over 200 machine guns in my name. If I had been there they would have gotten shot in the head.”

Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press In this July 20, 2014 photo, with guns displayed for sale behind him, gun dealer Mel Bernstein gives a man his change while working the register at his store, Dragonman's, east of Colorado Springs, Colo. When Colorado lawmakers expanded background checks on firearms last year, they were expecting a huge increase. But the actual number the first 12 months of the law is far lower than projected, according to an analysis of state data by The Associated Press.

Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press In this July 20, 2014 photo, gun dealer Mel Bernstein carries box for a rifle while making a sale at his store, Dragonman's, east of Colorado Springs, Colo. When Colorado lawmakers expanded background checks on firearms last year, they were expecting a huge increase. But the actual number the first 12 months of the law is far lower than projected, according to an analysis of state data by The Associated Press.

Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press In this July 20, 2014 file photo, with guns displayed for sale behind her, a gun store employee helps a customer at Dragonman's, east of Colorado Springs, Colo. When Colorado lawmakers expanded background checks on firearms last year, they were expecting a huge increase. But the actual number the first 12 months of the law is far lower than projected, according to an analysis of state data by The Associated Press.



Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press Gun dealer Mel Bernstein fires his AK-47 assault rifle on full automatic at his own Dragonman's shooting range and gun store, east of Colorado Springs, on Feb. 5, 2013.

Bernstein said while he was at dinner Sunday night, several of his 35 video surveillance cameras filmed four skinny, masked, hooded “young kids” as they stole his truck and crashed through an electrically charged fence and a metal garage barrier to get inside his gun warehouse and range at 1200 Dragonman Dr.

“They took whatever they could get in six minutes and took off,” he said.

The Denver Post reached Bernstein by phone while he was helping the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives do an inventory of the stolen guns.

“No matter how safe you try to make it they’ll find a way to get in,” Bernstein said.

But he said he believes the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department will make a quick arrest.

“We recognized the vehicle they were in,” Bernstein said. “Only a few people know my schedule.”

The smash-and-grab burglary of Dragonman was just the latest in a rash of burglaries across the state the past year in which multiple masked burglars have stolen trucks, SUVs or cars and used them to gain entry.

The suspects who burglarized Bernstein’s shooting range raced back and forth, snatching whatever they could and then bolted. They took valuable weapons but not the most expensive, he said.

“I have six electronically controlled machine guns that they didn’t touch,” Bernstein said.

They also didn’t get his dragon motorcycle, the trademark of his business, he said.