I found a gun in my attic!

F

futurerider103

New member
My upstairs was turned from a complete attic to a huge room before I moved in. Well it's been a year ago that we moved in and the upstairs is my 8 and 9yr old boys room apparently they found out a hidden little door to the rest of the attic (which I thought was just molding) that wasn't finished and there it was in the bag sitting on the insulation.
I didn't touch it and called the local sheriff's office and the sent a deputy to my house and after 2 minutes he told me I'm a proud new owner of a Jennings .22 then we joke about it being so crappy but hey a free gun is a free gun. Even had like 9 rounds.
09b06b3051b0cece54d8be7450ce0966.jpg
 
Last edited:
The story behind this, who put it there is interesting. That was hidden deep, just like some kid's magazine or pot stash. That sounds like some kid stashed it there, and who knows? Maybe it was lift there because he's doing life in federal.
 
I've seen cheap guns stored similarly by people that couldn't afford a proper safe, but didn't want their kids (or even their wives) to know they owned a gun.

It may not be "proper" but if the fuzz says it's clean, I wouldn't worry about it.

Free beater.
Better than a free beating, any day.
 
Those things could be found wholesale at something less than fifty. The ones I handled was horrible. Pot metal slide and frame, just terrible. God knows how reliable they could be. Yes, thugs used them for throwaway, and women used them as purse guns.

I don't really know how many people here have ever actually seen or handled one, but honestly, they reminded of the old pot metal toy guns.

The company went through a lot of changes. Atf wanted to destroy them. The company was owned by several family members, and run under several banners.

The thing has been kept in an attic for maybe twenty or more years? Pot metal can deteriorate. I don't think that a 22lr could tear one apart, but I still wouldn't fire it.
 
Last edited:
Btw, I read a story about dealers shoveling these things out by the hundreds to people who purchased them just for $200 gun buybacks..
 
What are "like" rounds? ;) I can't find any on the shelves. :p

The little Jennings were die-cast Zinc pistols. Not the highest quality arms, and tend to jam when needed. The problem is, most of the people that bought them couldn't afford anything better.

When they function, they work well. When they have bad magazines, they are the quintessential definition of "jam-a-matics".

The value of the little pistol is probably between $40.00 and $50.00 at best.

Clean it up, spend a little time polishing up the internals of the little pistol. Shoot and enjoy it until it self-destructs.

Good luck
 
my 8 and 9yr old boys room apparently they found out a hidden little door to the rest of the attic (which I thought was just molding) that wasn't finished and there it was in the bag sitting on the insulation.
Click to expand...

Take your boys shooting as a reward and congratulate them on telling you about it rather than keeping it hidden and playing with it! Sounds like you're raising them right.
 
45_auto said:
Take your boys shooting as a reward and congratulate them on telling you about it rather than keeping it hidden and playing with it! Sounds like you're raising them right.
Click to expand...
We go shooting often and they have their own guns. They have been around them their whole life and know they aren't toys
 
called the local sheriff's office
......why?
Click to expand...
Why NOT?
A found "stashed" gun isn't necessarily a bonus from a purchase. The police may know some history of that house that would lead them to believe a hidden gun could possibly be valuable evidence in an unsolved crime.
In this case, the officer did the cool thing, and told the OP keep it. If he hadn't, what would have been the loss? A crappy, cheap gun that he didn't own in the first place.
Now had it been something like a vintage 1911, or Luger, I might have also gotten a lawyer involved so a less reputable official couldn't just easily conficate it for himself
 
I don't really know how many people here have ever actually seen or handled one, but honestly, they reminded of the old pot metal toy guns.
Click to expand...

Well, now you do!:D I have owned a Jennings J-22 since about 1988. Chrome one like in the picture, but with the "upgraded" wooden grips. Oh, and mine has a metal, not plastic "safety" switch. FWIW, I have fired many many rounds through my J-22. If you use CCI stingers and keep the action/bore clean, it is about 99% reliable. With other .22lr, it's about 95% reliable, provided you keep it clean. If you shoot about 20-30 rounds through it and don't clean it, it will jam. I still take my little J-22 out to the range sometimes and fire 3-4 magazines through it wondering "when will it break?"
 
Last edited:
Now had it been something like a vintage 1911, or Luger, I might have also gotten a l

Now had it been something like a vintage 1911, or Luger, I might have also gotten a lawyer involved so a less reputable official couldn't just easily conficate(confiscate) it for himself.
This is why, you answered it yourself. Why drag the law into it? Who is to say the new owner didn't make up the story of a "found" handgun?
Since there is no specific threshold number on firearms transferred or sold that triggers FFL requirement, the deputy said the resident was "a proud new owner" of the firearm, some AG or deputy AG could use this is a stump to promote their career on the platform of tighter gun laws.
Who knows? And just like you surmised at the end of your reply, any negative scenario could have manifested itself. Hence, why invite trouble by calling the law?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top