Delicate issue- legal/moral advice

[animal]

The way it was explained to me by a local cop is ... that they keep a record of ser # checks and which cop ran the check. I have no idea if this is a local, state or federal requirement. I wanted to have a pistol checked about a year after I bought it … when the seller got busted on a pretty big drug possession charge.
Anyway, I asked a cop buddy if he could run the numbers and he didn’t really want to because he would have to answer questions … especially if it came back stolen. He said I might not be able to get it back easily if I took it down there myself and it came back clean.
Luckily, I was able to play junior detective and find out where he bought it, and confirm it to be clean. Part of the problem with this one was that by the time I wanted it checked, the guy I bought it from was a felon. He wasn’t at the time I bought it.... and no, I wasn't trying to get away with anything except get the thing checked out and a way to turn it in without hassles if it had been stolen.

I have used getting the cops to run the numbers as a bluff, just to see how a seller reacts. .. If one were to start acting fishy, no way would I buy it … and would pass on a description of the weapon / seller to a detective, if it was local.

 

[TXAZ]

Just because it's a partial doesn't mean it's a hit.

Life is too short to deal with a potentially 'high overhead' flakey deal.

Keep looking.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

I hear varying things about whether police even have access to some sort of national stolen gun database.

I did get one really crazy good deal on a shotgun a few years ago. I called my local PD, gave them the serial number and asked if they could check. Not more than 5 seconds later they told me it wasn't stolen. I felt like I fulfilled my obligation and went through with the deal.

 

[ltc444]

You seem to have some issues with the purchase/seller.

When I am faced with a good deal and I have doubts, I walk away. I have no moral obligation to go further unless I know that a crime has been committed.

Remember no good deed goes unpunished. It the weapon comes back hot the investigators will look at you and you will be drawn simply for being a good citizen.

 

[hogdogs]

Yeah, I would pass on the offer for the po-po to inspect anything I own or may own... If the serial number is "clean" they need nothing more...

In Fla, if ANY gun had the same number as one on the "hot sheet" than it would be red flagged when I call the agency in charge...

Brent

 

[Edward429451]

I think you're being paranoid. Besides, if you check it in XXX jurisdiction, and then live or travel to YYY jurisdiction, what makes you think that they covered all the jurisdictions for you. What if it was stolen in Washington, and sold to you in Alabama? How can you check every jurisdiction?

You haven't even seen the man to be able to size him up and see if he makes your spidey sense tingle. Due diligence is good. Paranoia not so good. So far you havent given a good reason to question the mans integrity.

 

[KyJim]

I would walk away from the deal. The "partial match" stuff makes no sense. It either matches or it doesn't. One scenario is that it matched and the police want you to go through with the deal so they can investigate/arrest the seller? And, as far as requesting a lower price because of an increased risk of it being stolen, that could be used to point a finger at you for knowingly receiving stolen property. It doesn't sound like its worth the trouble to me.

 

[orangello]

I don't understand how the CT FFL could run the serial number to determine if the firearm was stolen or the two individuals in their sale. This does not jibe with what the local police, my state AG, or the dude at batf said when i asked them about getting a serial number checked. The local police said "bring it here and we will check it"; the state AG said i should ask batf; batf said A LOT that indicated to me that they were of the inclination that their database was for active investigations only.

Which makes me think of that old 1980's phrase "plausible deniability"; the government has all but denied me, joe citizen, use of the only reliable means of determining if a class of goods may be stolen. I wonder how that would float, were i to be charged with possession of a stolen firearm? I hope i never have to find out, but it would seem to be a reasonable objection to me. Much like buying any other item that doesn't have a title or paperwork evidencing its ownership.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Unless things have changed in the last decade, since I lived there and bought a pistol from a private party, in Connecticut ALL handgun sales must be called in to the State Police, who assign each sale a transaction number that gets entered on a multi-part form documenting the deal. For private, face-to-face sales, the private seller is responsible for calling the State Police to get the approval. When he/she makes the call, the officer handling the call asks for the make and type of the handgun and the serial number.

This isn't a case of a private party "being able" to run a serial number, this is a case of a private party NOT being allowed to conclude a transaction withOUT running the serial number.