Patrol Rifle Thefts Climb Nationwide as Cedar Mill Fine Firearms Spotlights Discreet Concealment Case Used by Top Shot Champion
For Immediate Release
Patrol Rifle Thefts Climb Nationwide as Cedar Mill Fine Firearms Spotlights Discreet Concealment Case Used by Top Shot Champion
Montana-made guitar case has concealed patrol rifles and personal long guns for nine years; Season 3 Top Shot champion Dustin Ellermann among those who have documented its use in the field.
MANHATTAN, Mont., June 3, 2026. As reports of firearms stolen from law enforcement and civilian vehicles climb across the United States, Cedar Mill Fine Firearms is calling renewed attention to the Original Discreet Concealment Guitar Case, a low-profile rifle transport solution the company has produced from Montana since 2017.
The pattern is showing up in city after city. The Rapid City, South Dakota police department reported its tenth firearm stolen from a vehicle in 2026 as of mid-May, after recording more than three dozen such thefts in 2025. The Davidson County, Tennessee sheriff's office reported 843 firearms stolen from vehicles between January and August of 2025, accounting for roughly 74 percent of all stolen firearms in the county. The Wichita, Kansas police department reported 118 firearms stolen from vehicles in the first six months of 2025. And in a widely reported incident, the Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a service rifle was stolen from a marked patrol vehicle that had been forced open in the garage of a residential complex in Malden.
Each of those incidents shares a common feature: the firearm was visible, identifiable, or stored in a case whose external shape signaled what was inside. A traditional hard-shell rifle case, parked in a vehicle or carried through a public space, advertises high-value contents to anyone watching.
Cedar Mill Fine Firearms designed the Original Discreet Concealment Guitar Case to address that exact problem. The case adopts the hard-shell silhouette of a standard musical instrument case, with a customizable foam interior engineered to secure full-length rifles and accessories. The exterior provides no visual indication of its contents, allowing officers, instructors, and responsible owners to move firearms through urban environments, hotels, transit hubs, and public parking areas without broadcasting them.
Used in the field by competitive shooters and instructors
The case has been used and documented by Top Shot Season 3 champion Dustin Ellermann, who serves as Shooting Editor for Texas Fish and Game Magazine and runs a youth marksmanship program through Camp His Way in Texas. Photographs of the case in field use have appeared in coverage and instructional content published under Ellermann's name.
Statement from the manufacturer
“A traditional rifle case has become a liability. It tells the world what you are carrying, and in a vehicle break-in it tells the thief which case to take first. The point of the Discreet Concealment Guitar Case is not to hide that someone owns a rifle. It is to deny opportunistic thieves the visual cue that makes the rifle a target in the first place. Officers, instructors, and law-abiding owners deserve transport that does not advertise.”
AJ Koenes, Manager, Cedar Mill Fine Firearms
Product and availability
The Original Discreet Concealment Guitar Case features a hard-shell exterior modeled on a standard acoustic guitar case, a customizable foam interior that secures most full-size rifles and tactical configurations, and reinforced hardware for travel and transport. The case is manufactured by Cedar Mill Fine Firearms in Manhattan, Montana, and has been on the market since 2017. Product details and ordering information are available at cedarmillfirearms.com.
About Cedar Mill Fine Firearms
Cedar Mill Fine Firearms is a Montana-based family business that designs and manufactures firearms transport, storage, and accessory products for law enforcement officers, military personnel, hunters, instructors, and responsible owners. The company has operated from Manhattan, Montana since its founding and produces the Original Discreet Concealment Guitar Case alongside a range of related accessories. Cedar Mill Fine Firearms operates the cedarmillfirearms.com storefront and the cedarmillguncase.com brand site.
Media contact
Cedar Mill Fine Firearms Press Office
Email: press@marketing.cedarmillguncase.com
Phone: 406-282-1647
Contact: AJ Koenes, Manager
Sources cited: SDPB News (Rapid City Police firearm theft reporting, May 2026); Davidson County Sheriff's Office firearm theft statistics (2025); Wichita Police Department vehicle firearm theft reporting (first half 2025); Fox News (Massachusetts State Police rifle theft, Malden, Massachusetts); Top Shot Season 3 (History Channel, 2011) and Texas Fish and Game Magazine masthead for Dustin Ellermann credentials.