Found gun...what would you do?

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ChaperallCat said:
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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I'm sorry, CaperallCat, but most "gang bangers" don't drive out into the desert to dump a weapon - especially a location that is frequented by law-abiding gun owners. They use other methods to dispose of the weapon - something more convenient: rivers, trash cans, dumpsters, bushes - anything quicker than driving 45+ minutes to dump it where it will certainly be found by a responsible citizen.


If you search these forums a bit, you'll find that most "found" guns turn out to belong to some one that simply had a bad day or an air-head moment. Very few turn out to be stolen and ditched.

Between my friends and family, we have found 6 modern firearms in the mountains or desert, in my lifetime. Not one of them was stolen.
(There were additional rusted blackpowder firearms, but who knows about those...)
 
Thanks for the replies folks. Yes, it seemed very unlikely to me that this was dumped there with nefarious intentions. In this part of the country I imagine this entire side of the state would know about it if a crime was committed with a semi auto rifle. The local paper reports cats stuck in trees.

I asked the LE officer half facetiously if I could take the gun if it wasn't claimed. He smiled and said "it doesn't work that way."
 
the only legal thing you can do is turn it in. It falls in that polite citizen stuff.
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I agree that you could end up in the trick bag. In Florida, possession of stolen property within 72 hours is considered evidence of theft.

But if it weren't stolen, I don't see how it would be illegal. People lose guns all the time. A Hillsorough deputy left a gun in a movie theater restroom stall a couple of weeks ago.

Immoral to keep it? In my opinion, yes. Unethical? Probably. OTOH, it could be argued that someone who leaves a gun on top of his car or in a restroom stall didn't deserve to have it anyway.
 
You did the right thing. You found it, contacted the police and turned it over. If it has a questionable past, I don't believe the police would consider you a suspect but I could imagine them asking you for some more detailed info like showing them exactly where it was.

Otherwise, you did the right thing and have zero worries.
 
I've got alittle different opinion on this. The gun could've been used in a crime or someone shooting and left it or left on car and fell off. I would've called LE with serial numbers and if stolen or whatever I would've turned it in. If it came back clean there's no way I would have turned it in to LE. I worked for 3 departments and if some guns , most got turned in like this clean just became the property of whoever grabbed it first. Not that this is right but that's the way it is. Sure you'll be told that if no one ever claims it that its yours. Yea stand next to the phone and wait for it. Lol
I'd put and ad in the paper and if anyone called in they better have paperwork or serial numbers or a very believable story to get it back.
This is just how I'd handle it.
 
BuckRub said:
I've got alittle different opinion on this. The gun could've been used in a crime or someone shooting and left it or left on car and fell off. I would've called LE with serial numbers and if stolen or whatever I would've turned it in. If it came back clean there's no way I would have turned it in to LE. I worked for 3 departments and if some guns , most got turned in like this clean just became the property of whoever grabbed it first. Not that this is right but that's the way it is. Sure you'll be told that if no one ever claims it that its yours. Yea stand next to the phone and wait for it. Lol
I'd put and ad in the paper and if anyone called in they better have paperwork or serial numbers or a very believable story to get it back.
This is just how I'd handle it.
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For someone who claims to be an LEO, this is pretty lousy advice. The gun does not belong to the person who found it, and there might be a legal requirement that found property be turned into the police.

In addition, you're assuming that the police would run a serial number check on a telephone call. Some agencies might and others might not.

Furthermore, whether the gun might have been associated with a crime won't necessarily be determinable from the serial number, or a connection might not become apparent until later.

Finally, I have no desire to get involved with putting an advertisement in a paper and then dealing with the random folks who might answer the advertisement. I certainly wouldn't want them dropping by my home to offer to show me their paperwork, nor would I want to take the time, trouble and incur the risk of meeting them elsewhere.
 
Does a lost gun that gets turned into authorities belong to whoever chooses to take it home ? I've seen similar cases just like this happen so many times, believe it or not ! No it doesn't belong to who finds it right then, they're doing what they can to locate the owner if not or until then, then yes it would then be the property of who found it. And yes I am still LE my take on LE is about 75% get into that profession because they want so much to wear a gun and to be able to give people orders. And that's what makes us all look like crap. And come on LE are most of the time way underpaid and when they find a way to make a quick buck they'll do it, not saying its right but LE or regular folks act the same just some people's job requires them to carry a gun. I believe All will sooner or later Reap what we've sown. Believe this or not, All be in disbelief but its the truth ! And you said that you can run a gun by serial number and it don't tell if it was used to murder someone, well that's every used gun that people buy from other people or gun stores for that matter. I've bought a lot of used guns and just because they don't show up stolen I have no idea of what they've done in their past. Like I said, This is just how I would handle it. You may turn yours into the PD or turn it in only to be someone else property.
 
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BuckRub said:
Does a lost gun that gets turned into authorities belong to whoever chooses to take it home ?...
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That is a problem, if it exists in the particular agency, for agency management -- not the finder of the gun.

So you're still giving out lousy advice.
 
Unless there is a specific law that applies to found weapons that I had been aware of, I'm not sure I would not have just taken it home, cleaned it up and treated it like anything else found without an idea of who owned it. Many, many years ago, after moving into an old house that we had bought, my wife found a partially loaded 6.5mm semi-auto hidden in a closet. It never occurred to me to call the police. After trying to determine its value at a few gun shops (none wanted to buy it from me) I sold it via a newspaper ad (this was over 20 years ago) in cash to the first person who called me on it. I think I would do exactly the same if I found an AK, although I might decide to just keep it.
 
Furthermore, whether the gun might have been associated with a crime won't necessarily be determinable from the serial number, or a connection might not become apparent until later.
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It also depends on who's doing the check on the gun, and which number they have recorded as the serial number.

The AK sporter clones have several numbers, and the format can be confusing. It may be in the system as a crime gun, but perhaps the make and model were entered incorrectly.

For example, an M70AB, imported by Century, with a serial number of 1980AB76543 might have been recorded as a "Yugoslavian AK, serial #AB76543." It might have been called a model 1980AB, serial number M70AB. I've seen warrants with things like "Glock, model 9mm" on warrants and reports.

So, that gun may already be in the system, but the number they see in their computers doesn't match. That'll be little help to me if I keep it, and I later get caught with a crime gun I just "found" in the desert six months prior.
 
Why does it go to auction and not the finder???
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exactly what i was going to ask, if he can not lay claim to it after being cleared and a reasonable time for the owner to claim it........., it's not fair, Boo Hoo ! :eek: ... :eek:
 
Now I have seen guns conviscated or turned into LE and they will have an auction and the money goes to the dept. but the nice guns don't usually go to auction, just some bangers to make it look good for the dept taking guns and making money for dept. The nice guns usually go to Sheriff, Chief and then to staff according to pecking order. No it's not right at all so now you guys know how it is and so go find a law and do the right thing and give it to a police dept only for a LE to take it home and use it or him sell it so he can help pay HIS bills. Man you guys are just too generous. Lol
 
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".
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Sadly, they could be right, by doing this you put yourself at the location where the weapon was found, if you took the weapon in then you gave direct evidence that you were in possession of said weapon.

I think it may be a stretch to say it could readily be used against you. It would likely take an extreme set of circumstances that this could be used against you by LE.
 
Having been in a similar situation a couple years ago where I left the items (gun safe, fishing equipment) lie where they were, I was on the police radar. Two state police cars came storming up my driveway, the troopers jumped out, "asked" that I put my dog away and proceeded to "interrogate" me in a rude and derogatory manner. Once they determined that I wasn't a viable suspect they left in a huff and a cloud of dust. That left me with a bad taste in my mouth for involving myself in anything that could be possibly crime related, becoming the prime suspect and having my name attached to such activity.

Turns out the stuff was stolen and there were guns in the safe. I later asked the local Chief of police what ever became of it and he strangely clammed up.

After that encounter I'd have a tough time taking the good citizen route. Would probably drive (or ride if in horseback) right on by, not stopping or "seeing" a thing.

In the case of the OP if the gun was stolen or involved in a crime I would not want the hassle or my name involved in any way by turning it in. Taking it home could easily go even worse. Better to just go buy an AK if you want one.
 
Well until last year I would have done what the OP did but after working in evidence while I was on light duty. I would now run the serial numbers thru NCIC/FCIC and if no hits I would keep it because once you turn in a weapon to my agency they destroy it.:mad:
 
BuckRub said:
No it doesn't belong to who finds it right then, they're doing what they can to locate the owner if not or until then, then yes it would then be the property of who found it
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Doing what one can, except the blatantly obvious solution of contacting local authorities, completely negates the proclaimed effort.


You may turn yours into the PD or turn it in only to be someone else property.
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So what? It doesn't belong to the individual that found it and whatever the local authorities have in store for the lost firearm doesn't, and shouldn't, bear weight on the decision to do the prudent thing.

I second Frank's take: This is horrible advice...at best.
 
IMO: It matters not what happens to the gun after police assume custody.

Several years ago an employee found an H&K P7M8 by the side of the road while searching for explosive ordnance with a magnetometer: The gun looked almost new.

The site supervisor called the sheriff: A deputy took a statement and the gun. A few weeks later the county sheriff himself came by and thanked the team for turning the gun in. The gun had been used in a murder and the perp was arrested after it was found.
 
I think you did fine. But there is more that was possible to do...there always is. :)

You have cell signal, and are in discussion with the local police from the location. You could have...

a) Taken pictures or maybe even video of the scene (before disturbing it to collect & clear the rifle)
b) Possibly emailed the photo / video to the police
c) Taken a GPS coord & time stamp if you had a smart phone to illustrate where exactly it was. The GPS info could also be used to exonerate you regarding where you were before & after you found the gun, if police ever had an issue with your whereabouts in association with the rifle.
 
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