What would you do if you found a gun?

TheWallrus

TheWallrus

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I just read through the thread about the lady whose son found a pistol and she fired it to see if it was real. :rolleyes:

Afterwards, I was just laying here thinking, "what would I do if I found a pistol under the dressing room chair or bench"? Two obvious answers came to my mind, and I could argue both options.

What say you?
 
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NCLivingBrit said:
Not touch it and call an adult.
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Eddie is proud of you Brit.......

Personally I would stay with the gun (not touching it, don't want my prints on it) keep my pants off, call a salesperson (the good looking chick with the blonde hair) and show her my gun and then when we were through with that she could go call the cops to take charge of the weapon, after I put my pants back on of course...But that's just me. Can you imagine what @chadamn would do??
 
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It's a fairly safe bet no one in the store would have a clue what to do. The good news is most dressing rooms are locked these days. I'd advise store management so they could lock that dressing room till authorities could arrive.
 
Get creative guys. Take it, make sure no prints or anything are on it, sell it in a F2F transaction with no bill of sale. It's an inanimate object. Let go of the librul fantasy that somehow it needs to go to the government and be subject to an anal exam, er, I mean a history trace. All this call the government crap is nonsense. Start acting like free people and do free people stuff.
 
I was riding a dirtbike on the shoulder and found a cheap 38 on the side of I-25 one day. Put it in my pocket and handed it to PoPo when I got back to town. It was some no-name imported thing that had been chucked out the window of a car at some point.
 
I think the obvious answer is take it home and print out a bill of sale. Everyone keeps telling me these magical bill of sales will protect me if the cops ever come looking for the gun. I do that and I won't have to worry about it.
 
fieldgrade said:
It's a fairly safe bet no one in the store would have a clue what to do. The good news is most dressing rooms are locked these days. I'd advise store management so they could lock that dressing room till authorities could arrive.
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If it's not a piece of junk, why not advise store management that I wanna play finders-keepers, have him look in the dressing room, and ask him if he wants me to "dispose" of it? 'Course, I'd have to run out to truck and fetch fill-in-blank bill of sale, first.
 
noway2 said:
Get creative guys. Take it, make sure no prints or anything are on it, sell it in a F2F transaction with no bill of sale. It's an inanimate object. Let go of the librul fantasy that somehow it needs to go to the government and be subject to an anal exam, er, I mean a history trace. All this call the government crap is nonsense. Start acting like free people and do free people stuff.
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It has nothing to do with "needing to go to the government." It is likely someone else's lost property and wouldn't you like to see their private property restored to them? Would you keep a wallet you found in the dressing room, or clean the cash out of it before turning it in? Is finders keepers what acting like free people means?

I would call the cops and tell store management in the hopes it would be returned to its rightful owner, just like if I found a wallet or a roll of cash in the dressing room (well, probably wouldn't call the cops on that). If I somehow lost my carry piece (which I would hope I wouldn't), I would hope someone would do the same for me. And, if I lost my gun, the stores I was at and the cops would be the places I would call if I couldn't find it by retracing my steps.
 
MurphyLong said:
If it's a 9mm, I'd just leave it. Not like it's gonna hurt anyone anyway.
If it's a Glock, I'll sell it on Armslist for $700 after stabbing it with a soldering iron.
...but we all know if it got left behind, it's because someone aborted the abomination... a Hi-Point.




I lol'd at this, because the owner would likely face charges for leaving a firearm where it is accessible to a minor... unless it was a LEO, then they'll just sweep it under the rug.
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You are probably right. LOL
 
2 serious answers that immediately popped into my head.

Option 1: Do the right thing: Alert an employee, have them call the police and secure the room. If they act like they don't know what to do, the call the police and secure the room myself.

Option 2: Do a different version of the right thing: Unload the gun and take it with me. Anyone that leaves a gun like this is either too stupid to own a gun or trying to ditch the gun to avoid a charge for it. Either way, I just scored a new leave behind.
 
Hmm...so if I find a bag full of cash, I'm entitled to it after the waiting period, however if I find a gun and turn it into LEO, I can't claim it, and it makes them money....... Anyone want to change their answer?



15-11.2. Disposition of unclaimed firearms not confiscated or seized as trial evidence.

(a) Definition. - For purposes of this section, the term "unclaimed firearm" means a firearm that is found or received by a law enforcement agency and that remains unclaimed by the person who may be entitled to it for a period of 30 days after the publication of the notice required by subsection (b) of this section. The term does not include a firearm that is seized and disposed of pursuant to G.S. 15-11.1 or a firearm that is confiscated and disposed of pursuant to G.S. 14-269.1.

(b) Published Notice of Unclaimed Firearm. - When a law enforcement agency finds or receives a firearm and the firearm remains unclaimed for a period of 180 days, the agency shall publish at least one notice in a newspaper published in the county in which the agency is located. The notice shall include all of the following:

(1) A statement that the firearm is unclaimed and is in the custody of the law enforcement agency.

(2) A statement that the firearm may be sold or otherwise disposed of unless the firearm is claimed within 30 days of the date of the publication of the notice.

(3) A brief description of the firearm and any other information that the chief or head of the law enforcement agency may consider necessary or advisable to reasonably inform the public about the firearm.

(c) Repealed by Session Laws 2013-158, s. 2, effective September 1, 2013, and applicable to any firearm found or received by a local law enforcement agency on or after that date and to any judicial order for the disposition of any firearm on or after that date.

(d) Disposition of Unclaimed Firearm. - If the firearm remains unclaimed for a period of 30 days after the publication of the notice, then the head or chief of the law enforcement agency shall order the disposition of the firearm in one of the following ways:

(1) By having the firearm destroyed if the firearm does not have a legible, unique identification number or is unsafe for use because of wear, damage, age, or modification and will not be disposed of pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection. The head or chief of the law enforcement agency shall maintain a record of the destruction of the firearm.

(2) By sale, trade, or exchange by the agency to a federally licensed firearm dealer in accordance with all applicable State and federal firearm laws or by sale of the firearm at a public auction to persons licensed as firearms collectors, dealers, importers, or manufacturers. The head or chief of the law enforcement agency shall dispose of the firearm pursuant to this subdivision only if the firearm has a legible, unique identification number.

(3) By maintaining the firearm for training or experimental purposes or transferring the firearm to a museum or historical society.

(e) Repealed by Session Laws 2013-158, s. 2, effective September 1, 2013, and applicable to any firearm found or received by a local law enforcement agency on or after that date and to any judicial order for the disposition of any firearm on or after that date.

(f) Disbursement of Proceeds of Sale. - If the law enforcement agency sells the firearm pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section, then the proceeds of the sale shall be retained by the law enforcement agency and used for law enforcement purposes. The receiving law enforcement agency shall maintain a record and inventory of all firearms received pursuant to this section, as well as the disposition of the firearm, including any funds received from a sale of a firearm or any firearms or other property received in exchange or trade of a firearm. (2005-287, s. 2; 2013-158, s. 2; 2013-410, s. 17(a); 2014-115, s. 2.)



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I'm quite frankly surprised by a lot of the responses thus far. It's pretty doubtful that someone would leave a pistol used in a crime in a dressing room. The logical explanation is that someone took it off while trying on clothes and overlooked it. So why not turn it into the stores " lost and found" department? Isn't that how you would want it to be handled if it were your gun?

Years ago in Texas I forgot and left a cased pistol under the seat in a rental car. By the time that I realized it ( (30 minutes), the rental car folks had found it (when cleaning the car), and turned it in to their counter folks who stored it in a secured place until I called . No police turn in (and how easy do you think it would be to recover your pistol from the cops?), no hysteria, simply a common courtesy. Of course that was in Texas where carry was more common.

Now if this was a pistol found in some bushes - different story.
 
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Argue this or not...but I'm not a fan of keeping things that aren't mine. And I've appreciated it in the past when some of my lost stuff found its way back to me.

I've found a wallet or two in my day, money, ID, cards and the works in them. Once, I even did a walkabout to pick up some bills that had obviously come out of the wallet. Got them back to their owners with everything in them that I found.

Found two cell phones. Got them back to their owners.

Found a cr*pload of new car keys alongside the road, got them back to the dealership they belonged too.

Odds and ends that ended up turned into the management of whatever business I found them in.

To me, a gun is no different. It's definitely not mine, it's definitely a thing of value to someone (even if it's something most of us would call a POS). I'd notify management (if in a business) and call the local police.

Then I'd stand there and not let anybody else near it until the police showed up. This is because it's a dangerous weapon and stupid people don't need to be "pulling the trigger to see if it's real" and because it MAY have belonged to someone of less-than-good-character who may have used it for a less-than-honorable-use. The police can deal with that.

And besides...I'm familiar with SC law:

SECTION 16-23-55. Procedure for returning found handgun.

(A) A handgun that is found and turned over to a law enforcement agency must be held for a period of ninety days. During that period, the agency shall make a diligent effort to determine:

(1) if the handgun is stolen;

(2) if the handgun has been used in the commission of a crime; and (3) the true owner of the handgun.

(B) At least twice during the ninety-day holding period, the agency shall advertise the handgun with its full description in a newspaper having general circulation in the county where the handgun was found.

(C) After the ninety days have elapsed from publication of the first advertisement, and upon request of the individual who found and turned over the handgun, the agency shall return the handgun to this person if the individual fully completes the application process as described in Section 23-31-140 and in federal law, and pays all advertising and other costs incidental to returning the handgun. No handgun may be returned until the individual fully completes the application.

(D) Upon proper completion of the application, the law enforcement agency shall provide copies of the application in compliance with Section 23-31-140.
 
Chdamn said:
2 serious answers that immediately popped into my head.

Option 1: Do the right thing: Alert an employee, have them call the police and secure the room. If they act like they don't know what to do, the call the police and secure the room myself.

Option 2: Do a different version of the right thing: Unload the gun and take it with me. Anyone that leaves a gun like this is either too stupid to own a gun or trying to ditch the gun to avoid a charge for it. Either way, I just scored a new leave behind.
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Ok, so you ended up in the same place as me. And I could honestly argue for and against both options.

I don't think it is like finding a wallet. It is closer to finding a sack of cash. How do you find the rightful owner? Do you assume it has a legitimate owner or a nefarious owner?

I agree that Law Enforcement will not just track down the owner and hand it back to them. In an attempt to help the owner, you may be bringing a world of hurt their way.

If it was used in a crime, I would want Law Enforcement to have the evidence. This point is the hardest for me to ignore. I hate the idea that this missing piece of evidence would let a criminal "get away with it".

Do I really want a "stolen" gun in my inventory? If the gun had a legitimate owner, they may report it stolen upon not being able to retrieve it.

I really would want to do the "right" thing, just seems the "right" thing may not be so black-and-white. I think it really says something about our society's perspective on guns. The ambiguity of the answer is due to a poor mindset created by our government, broadcast by MSM, and practiced by some Law Enforcement.
 
OverMountainMan said:
If it's not a piece of junk, why not advise store management that I wanna play finders-keepers, have him look in the dressing room, and ask him if he wants me to "dispose" of it? 'Course, I'd have to run out to truck and fetch fill-in-blank bill of sale, first.
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Edit to add- Store manager can call me if/when someone wishes to claim lost property.
 
The plot thickens...

NC and SC have different laws relating to a "found" gun. Interesting...
 
Scsmith42 said:
I'm quite frankly surprised by a lot of the responses thus far. It's pretty doubtful that someone would leave a pistol used in a crime in a dressing room. The logical explanation is that someone took it off while trying on clothes and overlooked it. So why not turn it into the stores " lost and found" department? Isn't that how you would want it to be handled if it were your gun?

Years ago in Texas I forgot and left a cased pistol under the seat in a rental car. By the time that I realized it ( (30 minutes), the rental car folks had found it (when cleaning the car), and turned it in to their counter folks who stored it in a secured place until I called . No police turn in (and how easy do you think it would be to recover your pistol from the cops?), no hysteria, simply a common courtesy. Of course that was in Texas where carry was more common.

Now if this was a pistol found in some bushes - different story.
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I think there is a healthy dose of sarcasm and humormin most of the responses. After the first few posts it had to go that direction.

Hey, what if it was an AR pistol? Anyone thibk they could sneak that out in their pockets? :D
 
I'd probably wrap it up in whatever garment that is inevitably laying there in the dressing room (or toilet paper if I'm in the shitter), walk it to the customer service desk, leave it there and tell someone to call the cops.

Aint no reason to ruin my day waiting on LEO to show, or to "INFORM" since I'm setting myself up to be "ADDRESSED IN AN OFFICIAL MANNER". Eff that. Some dumbass left his piece, ain't my pig nor is it my farm
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
Argue this or not...but I'm not a fan of keeping things that aren't mine. And I've appreciated it in the past when some of my lost stuff found its way back to me.

I've found a wallet or two in my day, money, ID, cards and the works in them. Once, I even did a walkabout to pick up some bills that had obviously come out of the wallet. Got them back to their owners with everything in them that I found.

Found two cell phones. Got them back to their owners.

Found a cr*pload of new car keys alongside the road, got them back to the dealership they belonged too.

Odds and ends that ended up turned into the management of whatever business I found them in.

To me, a gun is no different. It's definitely not mine, it's definitely a thing of value to someone (even if it's something most of us would call a POS). I'd notify management (if in a business) and call the local police.

Then I'd stand there and not let anybody else near it until the police showed up. This is because it's a dangerous weapon and stupid people don't need to be "pulling the trigger to see if it's real" and because it MAY have belonged to someone of less-than-good-character who may have used it for a less-than-honorable-use. The police can deal with that.

And besides...I'm familiar with SC law:

SECTION 16-23-55. Procedure for returning found handgun.

(A) A handgun that is found and turned over to a law enforcement agency must be held for a period of ninety days. During that period, the agency shall make a diligent effort to determine:

(1) if the handgun is stolen;

(2) if the handgun has been used in the commission of a crime; and (3) the true owner of the handgun.

(B) At least twice during the ninety-day holding period, the agency shall advertise the handgun with its full description in a newspaper having general circulation in the county where the handgun was found.

(C) After the ninety days have elapsed from publication of the first advertisement, and upon request of the individual who found and turned over the handgun, the agency shall return the handgun to this person if the individual fully completes the application process as described in Section 23-31-140 and in federal law, and pays all advertising and other costs incidental to returning the handgun. No handgun may be returned until the individual fully completes the application.

(D) Upon proper completion of the application, the law enforcement agency shall provide copies of the application in compliance with Section 23-31-140.
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Ah, so you CAN claim salvage rights. :D
 
TheWallrus said:
I really would want to do the "right" thing, just seems the "right" thing may not be so black-and-white. I think it really says something about our society's perspective on guns. The ambiguity of the answer is due to a poor mindset created by our government, broadcast by MSM, and practiced by some Law Enforcement.
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I agree. I too am a believer in doing the right thing. I also agree that the right thing isn't necessarily obvious and I don't see involving "law enforcement" as a particularly desirable outcome for the reasons mentioned. If you look at the times that @RetiredUSNChief mentioned returning property the rightful owner, at least most of those involved an interpersonal action rather than intervention by government agents. Part of the reason I gave semi over the top responses was to encourage thinking and options beyond "call the government".
 
TheWallrus said:
I agree that Law Enforcement will not just track down the owner and hand it back to them. In an attempt to help the owner, you may be bringing a world of hurt their way.
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Contacting the police about it isn't about expecting them to track down the lawful owner. It is about getting the gun where the lawful owner is most likely to call after the store. Same thing with a bag of cash, gold coins, etc. that I might find that isn't mine.

Whether the police do the right thing isn't up to me.
 
TheWallrus said:
The plot thickens...

NC and SC have different laws relating to a "found" gun. Interesting...
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The posting about NC law doesn't seem to refer to a gun found by a third party or at least that's not clear. It seems to presume a gun found by LE. I'm not sure. There may be a statute similar to SC's somewhere.
 
georgel said:
Ah, so you CAN claim salvage rights. :D
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Indeed!

And, being as how I'm familiar with SC law on this, I'd be keeping close track on the police progress towards adhering to it. Because it could mean another gun added to my collection at no extra cost!

:D
 
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