Took a Stolen Gun on Trade

[Apache 46]

I looked at the hot gunz. Looks good and I will use it. However I am unsure if local law enforcement reports are fed into it or if it’s just individual users that provide the data.

 

[Apache 46]

The key to getting your property back is alerting law enforcement and having completed a police report when the theft occurred. If this occurs the police will recover the property from the pawn shop. If you do not get the police involved and work directly with the pawn shop you will have to pay them for the item.

 

[rickm]

I looked at the hot gunz. Looks good and I will use it. However I am unsure if local law enforcement reports are fed into it or if it’s just individual users that provide the data.

Each individuals has to enter the info on it

 

[jakeman]

Yep. If I have no prior knowledge of the item being stolen and I purchased it completely legally, whats the issue with me keeping it?

I would prefer to sell it back to the state or original owner if they want to pay a fair price. Now, as an individual, you could choose to just give it away but as far as I’m concerned, I bought it with no ill intent.

Imagine you spend $1000 on a gun, own it without issue for however long it is until you decide to sell it. Because a cop happens to be the one to try to buy it, you have no choice but to hand it over.

Should I go through all my firearms and have them checked to see the status of them according to the state and see if I need to give some away?

Do you think that’s fair? I’m open to hearing why I’m wrong here.

Put yourself on the other side of it. I’ve had guns stolen in the past. I don’t care where or how the police find them, and how many times they’ve changed hands since they were illegally taken from me, if the police can find them I’m going to want them back.

Just because they’ve been sold, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been stolen. If that was the case stolen property fencing would be a valid business model. Buying and selling between individuals is caveat emptor.

I can’t imagine anyone that ever had anything taken wouldn’t want the police to even notify them if they turned up. I also can’t imagine anyone wanting the police to call them and say “hey we found your stolen property but the current possessor has a bill of sale, so pound sand.”

There are ways to get back what you’ve paid if you’re a victim of something like this, but it isn’t the original victim’s responsibility to make you whole. I don’t caree what the item is. It could be a gun, a vehicle or a toaster. If it was stolen from me and the police find it, I’ll want it back.

YMMV

 

[rj ︈]

Put yourself on the other side of it. I’ve had guns stolen in the past. I don’t care where or how the police find them, and how many times they’ve changed hands since they were illegally taken from me, if the police can find them I’m going to want them back.

Just because they’ve been sold, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been stolen. If that was the case stolen property fencing would be a valid business model. Buying and selling between individuals is caveat emptor.

I can’t imagine anyone that ever had anything taken wouldn’t want the police to even notify them if they turned up. I also can’t imagine anyone wanting the police to call them and say “hey we found your stolen property but the current possessor has a bill of sale, so pound sand.”

There are ways to get back what you’ve paid if you’re a victim of something like this, but it isn’t the original victim’s responsibility to make you whole. I don’t caree what the item is. It could be a gun, a vehicle or a toaster. If it was stolen from me and the police find it, I’ll want it back.

YMMV

Definitely agree, I would want anything that is stolen back without question.

--

The hardest part for me is, if I have a gun stolen from me, I can blame the thief, but after that, the blame goes to me. Certainly not the guy who bought it legally from a private sale.

It's obviously a difficult question because I can see myself on both ends — but I have more control over keeping something from being stolen versus buying something legally and then it just getting taken away because it was taken from somebody else without my knowledge.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

on a similar note I currently have a 45 for sale here on oks - a guy asked me if I would provide the last 3 of the SN as he had one just like it several years back -- I thought about it a bit and went ahead and provided the info as I figured if it was stolen and his gun I would eat the loss as a risk/benefit of buying/selling/trading guns w/o an FFL - he responded it was not the same gun?? - obviously it was the same type of fishing trip as you got taken on -- most people realize what is involved - if not you probably shouldn't play

No, it wasn’t a fishing trip. The serial number I gave you was not a stolen gun. It was a 45 that I carried on duty for several years. I had Novak rear sights put on mine just like the one in your photo. It’s a pistol I wish I had never sold. It was actually used in an OIS.

 

[bigfug]

That’s interesting. I had a neighbor (HP Trooper) that I asked if he could run one to check if stolen and at that time he had to have probable cause to run it. It was actually illegal for him to do so otherwise.

I wonder how the PD caught it?

They run the SN's through armslist, or vice versa, similar to how a pawn shop would, and it popped hot. But your neighbor is correct. Same for DL's, CCW's, VIN's etc. Many an officer has lost a job for it, but usually because they are running the plates on a car in their ex's driveway etc.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

Do you have no choice in keeping the firearm? If it is reported as stolen and you can prove that you purchased it legally from a private party, why should you be the one to pay the price?

If it was yours that was stolen, wouldn't you want it back?

 

[turkeyrun]

As far as reporting; think of IF the gun you traded is used to commit a crime and disposed of? Police recover and trace ownership back to you and charge you with robbery, assault, murder, whatever.

I would want a record of theft by fraud.

 

[Virtuaguyver]

This thread got me thinking... what if the seller just wanted his gun back and he reports it stolen. With no bill of sale, do the police have the rights to take it back?