The Wake County sheriff said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that deputies stopped the robbery in progress.
It happened around 2:50 a.m. at the Triangle Gun Vault in Apex.
Deputies caught three suspects at the shop but they are actively searching for a fourth suspect.
Jeremy Figueroa, 21, Daquan Devon, 21 and Demonte Aughan, 20, face charges related to breaking into the store.
The suspects are accused of breaking into the store by driving a van into the front of the shop, warrants said.
The warrants also state the van used in the robbery was believed to be stolen.
The sheriff did not release the name of the suspect still on the loose.