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I apparently bought a stolen gun at a gun show from a private seller. This was over a year ago, but I don't recall the date. I go to a lot of shows. The seller appeared legitimate. It was a private sale, person to person. He had rented a table, and was selling mainly gun related accessories, but had a couple of personal guns as well. I had been looking for one like he had, so I bought it. I have no idea of the sellers name.
A year or more later I became tired of the gun, and traded it at my regular gun store on a different gun. The gun store then sold the gun to someone else.
At some point after that sale, I guess someone must have run the serial number on the gun and found out that it was stolen. I am not sure who did this or why the trace was run. The ATF traced it back to the gun store I had sold it to. The gun store was contacted by the ATF about a month ago. I guess the store owners told the ATF I had traded it in. I have not been contacted by the ATF, and found out about all this when I went in to the store and bought another gun. I am a pretty regular customer there, and they know me pretty well. I trade with them a lot, and they know I am a legitimate person. The gun owner told me the story, and asked if I remembered where I bought that gun, and I told him about buying it at a gunshow. He didnt seem to think this was too big of a deal. I told him I had no idea it was stolen, and apologized. I asked him if he wanted me to reimburse him for it, and he said I had bought enough from them over the years not to worry about it, but I told him I wouldnt feel right about that, and we ended up settling on me paying him back half the amount he had allowed me when I traded it. I also bought a gun from the store while I was there.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
Will the ATF contact me? I have no idea the name of the seller, and do not recall his face. I remember he was an older looking guy, but thats all. Its a dead end after me.
If the ATF contacts me how should I handle it?
I would have paid the gun store the whole amount if he had let me. Did I handle things OK by reimbursing him for half the trade allowance? That seemed like more than enough to the gun store guy but I still feel bad I sold them a gun with a bad history.
This kind of thing tends to make me nervous and paranoid. Is there anything else I need to do?
A year or more later I became tired of the gun, and traded it at my regular gun store on a different gun. The gun store then sold the gun to someone else.
At some point after that sale, I guess someone must have run the serial number on the gun and found out that it was stolen. I am not sure who did this or why the trace was run. The ATF traced it back to the gun store I had sold it to. The gun store was contacted by the ATF about a month ago. I guess the store owners told the ATF I had traded it in. I have not been contacted by the ATF, and found out about all this when I went in to the store and bought another gun. I am a pretty regular customer there, and they know me pretty well. I trade with them a lot, and they know I am a legitimate person. The gun owner told me the story, and asked if I remembered where I bought that gun, and I told him about buying it at a gunshow. He didnt seem to think this was too big of a deal. I told him I had no idea it was stolen, and apologized. I asked him if he wanted me to reimburse him for it, and he said I had bought enough from them over the years not to worry about it, but I told him I wouldnt feel right about that, and we ended up settling on me paying him back half the amount he had allowed me when I traded it. I also bought a gun from the store while I was there.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
Will the ATF contact me? I have no idea the name of the seller, and do not recall his face. I remember he was an older looking guy, but thats all. Its a dead end after me.
If the ATF contacts me how should I handle it?
I would have paid the gun store the whole amount if he had let me. Did I handle things OK by reimbursing him for half the trade allowance? That seemed like more than enough to the gun store guy but I still feel bad I sold them a gun with a bad history.
This kind of thing tends to make me nervous and paranoid. Is there anything else I need to do?