What would you do if you found a gun ?

[CaseHardened]

A whole lot of Americans own guns.

It stands to reason that people get drunk, get careless,, holsters fail, etc. And guns get lost.

If I found one, my sympathies would be with the legal owner. I would prefer to see it returned to him or her without incident. But I don't think there is any way to do that.

Of course the official word would be to turn in it to the police. I'm sure they would find a deserving officer who was having a birthday.

Or they could jam up the owner real good if they could trace him and they were feeling nasty that day.

Only if it were some small town in the heartland could I see any honest and charitable effort on the part of Law Enforcement to get the gun back to its rightful owner.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Like you said, "If you turn it in, it may not go back to the owner or the owner can get jammed."

It could also work out for the owner if he reported it right away and the police do the right thing. But knowing NY or MA, the owner would probably be afraid to report it. He would more than likely not say anything or perhaps report it stolen from his truck.

Me personally, I would keep it. I wouldn't know if it was stolen so I wouldn't go about using it like normal but would bury it for a rainy day.

 

[Saltwater60]

Pistol is getting reported to police long gun what long gun??
Cops in nys can not keep guns anymore. There are very strict protocols and have been for sometime. If they are turned in by wife of dead husband they can purchase them legally. Unfortunately the state police in NYS destroy them or they sit and rot.

 

[spat]

Only if it were some small town in the heartland could I see any honest and charitable effort on the part of Law Enforcement to get the gun back to its rightful owner.

A lot of us live in small towns in western NY where that statement is true.

I am not sure, and I would certainly verify this ahead of time if it actually came up, but I believe if I found one and turned it into the Sheriff's office here as "found property" and it went unclaimed for long enough they would return it to me. Being a gun and with SAFE requiring background checks for everything this might be more complicated than it would be for other lost and found property, but I bet they would work with me and a local FFL to get the background check run and allow me to take possession. It would likely cost me a $25 transfer fee, but that would be worth it for not having to worry about getting caught with something that could be traced to a crime.

The other option is to bury it in the back yard as an "undocumented" firearm that nobody knows about for a rainy day. There is certainly some merit in that plan as well...

 

[CaseHardened]

When I went in for my License Renewal last year, in Mass, the LEO asked me TWICE if I had lost a gun.

If I had answered in the affirmative, I'm pretty sure no license renewal would have been forthcoming.

 

[Uzi]

I mean, what could possibly be a bad idea about bringing home a strangers gun you know absolutely nothing about?

 

[CaseHardened]

I mean, what could possibly be a bad idea about bringing home a strangers gun you know absolutely nothing about?

So just leave it there ?

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I would leave it where it is. What bad luck it would be to get caught with a gun with a body on it on the way to turning it in. How would you explain that? Would they believe you? Would they believe you even if you legitimately turned it in? Also, what if the gun is just temporarily lost? Like what if somebody is planning to go back to the area they lost it and try and find it? I know if I lost a gun I would hope that maybe just maybe it would be near the area I lost it. If it really bothers you just leaving it then report it. Then comes the problem of them believing it's not yours again though. But I wouldn't under any circumstances touch it.

 

[meketrefe]

Do my best to get it to the owner. If that is not possible it depends on where you are and the situation.
It is not the same to find a rusted last century relic in the middle of the jungle than a modern handgun tossed in a city corner in a crime infested area. in this second case you report that to the police ASAP and do not touch the gun.

 

[CaseHardened]

Honest, Officer - it belongs to the cat...

 

[CaseHardened]

If I were in the Inner City (why I would be I can't imagine), I'd certainly leave it and go away.

But if it were in a Rest Room stall, or on a Jogging Path, I'd probably confiscate it.

If for no other reason than to prevent some Child, Teenager, or Liberal from getting their hands on it.

 

[CaseHardened]

(Liberal finds gun)

I wonder if this thing is loaded ?

 

[GOPerfect]

Finders keepers. Yep, it is now mine. Anything I find in the woods or the streets is mine.

Tough luck!

 

[CaseHardened]

With my luck I'll find a Taurus.

"What's worse than finding a Taurus ?"

"Finding two of them"

 

[Marine Cpl]

With my luck I'll find a Taurus.

Or a Sig P365.

 

[Bananabandit]

Im not a scuba diver so Ill never find any.

 

[Acer-m14]

hide it and save it for a gun buy back LOL ..

 

[Twogunwilly]

I need a better pic to decide...er not

 

[BuffNiag]

No way am I keeeping a potentially stolen gun. Maybe leave where found and report to police?

 

[Robin]

Back in the day I would have put an ad in the local paper. Today(?), well

6" PVC fits in nicely. No cops then, no cops now. Sad what things have come to and the G gets more intrusive every day. Show me your papers!!! At the grocery store, at the quick mart, WTF! FUNY!
Robin

 

[dsdmmat]

We have found a couple of guns at the club. We email all the members to see if they are missing one. If they come back with the make model and serial number we give it back to them, no harm no foul. If it goes unclaimed it gets turned in to the local sheriff’s office.

 

[CaseHardened]

hide it and save it for a gun buy back LOL ..

I've a couple of LEGAL ones I'm saving for that.

A $150 Target Gift Card for either and may they rest in pieces.

 

[repete]

Depends on where I found it, like said above if in the city then turn it in. BUT if it's out in the woods then we're talking a whole nether thing! I brother in law (now long deceased) was out deer hunting on state land for the first time and as he sat there looking around thought to himself "gee that sure looks like a gun over there" after awhile he got up and walked over there and sure nuff there's a Franchi 12ga leaning against a tree not far from a gut pile! He took it home and kept it. After he passed I was talking to his young son and happened to mention the gun and how he got it, the boy didn't know the story and it kind've added to the sentimental value of the gun.

 

[Celt]

Depends. If i thought i could find the owner id attempt to get back to that person. If it was in a shady area where i thought it could be a murder weapon then id report it to LE. If it was just randomly found in the woods with no idea who owner was, id go to home depot to buy some pvc pipe.

 

[Robin]

Yer a good guy Celt!
Robin

 

[Airborneguy]

Looks like I got a new gun.

 

[Twogunwilly]

After stowing away the 1866 I'd look around with a metal detector, might be some gold teeth out there.

 

[FrankenCub]

I can be pretty forgetful at times, just ask my wife. Even at my worst I would NEVER get very far before I realized my gun wasn't with me. How could someone just walk away from a long gun and not go back for it? Certainly didn't walk there by itself. Maybe it's best that a new owner found it
The Stihl 029 I've used for better than 20 years was found by my dad in a ditch on his way home from work. Bright orange case, couldn't miss it. He brought it home and made a good effort to find who ever just bought it. He placed ads in the local paper and spread the word that he found a new saw and was looking for the owner. He gave up after a couple weeks..... new saw for him Now I still use it. I wouldn't get rid of it for a new model.
Might have been stolen? Damn expensive chainsaw when it was new.

 

[Acer-m14]

@FrankenCub back when i was 16 and deer hunting ,. i got my fist 6 pt buck on the last push of the woods .. and the guy next to me got a doe ..
well i had to dress his doe , he didnt know how to .. then when i got my buck it was dark in the woods .. .. now to find my damn shot gun ..
its leaning on a tree in the woods some place .. LOL .. fk wheres my gun .. FK .. after 30 mins we found it in dark finally .. back then no one carried
a flashlight LOL ..

but it could have been sill against that tree today if we didn't find it ..

 

[@thewheels]

Depends on the gun

There's only one Taurus that would make me pause