Found gun...what would you do?

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Paool

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OK, so I was checking out one of the local spots in the desert near where I live that is a popular target shooting spot. I've even seen local LE there from time to time. With not another soul around, I noticed something on the ground while driving by one spot in particular. I drive over and low and behold it's an AK47 lying in the dirt. No magainze, no other hardware or shell casings anywhere nearby. After pondering what to do about this, I finally decide to call the police and report it. Since I'm a short ways out of town and it could be difficult to give directions to exactly where I am (it's in a maze of dirt roads), they request that I bring it into town for a meeting where I hand off the weapon and they take my contact info and DL#.

So my thinking on this was that (a) I didn't want to leave it there and have the wrong person find it, and (b) I didn't want to just take it and keep it since I have no idea the history and whether it's a stolen weapon, if it's been used in a crime, etc., and frankly that just seems sleazy. My best guess is that someone was shooting their guns, they placed this one on top of a car/truck or leaned it up against a vehicle, forgot it when they packed up, and didn't notice when it fell to the ground.

The officer said that they typically do a check on the gun to see if it's stolen, and then if no one comes to claim it in a certain time frame (don't recall how long that is), then it goes up for local auction and is typically bid on and purchased by a local FFL dealer.

Anyhow, talking with some family a few days later, they inform me that I was wrong to turn it in to the police. Somehow they think I could be implicated if it turns up this weapon has an unsavory past, and that in any case now I'm on local LE's "radar".

So, I'm curious: what would you have done in this situation?
 
You did the right thing.

I can't see you getting in trouble for doing what you did. I suppose anything's possible, but it would be a hard sell to convince someone that a criminal would do what you did when they could simply drive off and never be connected to the gun.
 
I think you did the right thing. If it does come up as used in a crime, no other evidence will point to you. Hopefully you will have an alibi. Sleep well you did the right thing.
 
I believe you did the correct thing in this situation. Also, it seems likely that this gun was stolen or involved in a crime, so you may have assisted some victim out there.
 
You did what you should have.

The Chicken Littles are just paranoid, and don't have the heart to help some one out with a lost firearm. (Based on where it turned up, the likelihood of it being stolen is minimal.)
 
Odd. There was a thread on another forum recently where a guy had the same story, different stuff.

He found, in an alley behind his home, a gun bag with some magazines in it.

You and he did the same thing, call someone in authority who might have a chance at solving a crime or returning lost of stolen goods to the rightful owner.

The only thing you could have done better is to have photographed the scent before picking up the gun, or called the police from the scene and directed them to it without you compromising any evidence. Too late for that now, and those two options might not have been viable, so I can't fault you. You did the right thing. Sleep with a clear conscience. Karma should (in a perfect world) repay you.

I would have asked why lost guns are treated differently than other lost properties. Often (depending on jurisdiction, I guess) found goods left unclaimed revert to the finder.

Lost Sheep
 
My BIL who lives in Washington had a similar situation a number of years ago. He was target shooting in a forested area and found a pistol. He took it to the sheriff's sub devision office and turned it in. They told him that they would run check on the gun, and if it was not found to have been used in a crime, and nobody claimed it (I believe they said within 120 days) he could return and the gun would be his. He is now the owner of a Ruger Redhawk.
 
The OP did exactly the right thing. The only two additional things I would suggest would be taking a photo with your cell phone of the gun in situ and, if your cell phone has a GPS, recording the location as a way-point.
 
You did the right thing. I would have snapped a pic of it where it was laying exactly as you found it and if there was any distinguishing marks or serial number visible get pics of those as it is laying there that way they can't say oh that's not the one you found or some thing like that.
 
Some family of mine found a beat up fully loaded glock on the side of the road one day.

They turned it in to the police and never heard anything else about it.

I don't know if they inquired about keeping it or not, I wish they had because I would have gladly accepted a beat up glock if they hadn't wanted it.

Like others have said, you did the right thing. Its a suspicious situation to find a gun just laying around. And like others have said, the only thing that could have been done better would have been taking a few pictures of the scene with camera phone, and gps coordinates if you had one.
 
the only legal thing you can do is turn it in. It falls in that polite citizen stuff.

The only two reasons youd find a gun just laying out in the desert is simplistic.

1. criminal. when you hit a home run you drop the bat and run. Its either stolen or been used for a not so nice crime. So when your local gang banger shoots 5 people over 5 dollars of crack, they leave the gun somewhere so 'citizen stupid" can find it, and get caught with it.
 
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Somehow they think I could be implicated if it turns up this weapon has an unsavory past, and that in any case now I'm on local LE's "radar".
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If the gun had an unsavory past, and if you were part of that unsavory past, it's really doubtful you would have taken the initiative to turn it in. I wouldn't worry.
 
Some states have laws something along the lines of "Retention of stolen or lost property".

Might want to check that out before you decide to keep a gun you found.

Now if one was to find a gun, call the police and report it, I think you wouldn't have to worry about it. Bandits don't normally turn in guns they've used in crimes.

I think you could probably buy a couple of AK's for what it would cost you for a lawyer to defend you if at some time someone finds you with a gun that has been reported as stolen or lost.

But hey, I'm no lawyer, this is just my opinion.
 
Some states have web sites to look up reported stolen cars, boats, guns, 'etc, by serial number.
If your state does, it's a good idea to check out anything that might be bought used.
 
State law governs........in Florida there is statutory provision for claiming found property by the finder.....apparently other jurisdictions differ.......one is bound to turn the found item in tho and a claim for it can be made later.
 
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