Finders keepers

[DERGLOCKINMEISTER]

I read on another site an interesting thread that I would like to see here , namely things (guns primarily) that people have found when out and about , it's amazing the things we lose and the weird places we lose them in . If this is the wrong place for this I apologize , fell free to move it where you want .

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[raftman]

I've always wondered what the law says about lost/found guns. I've never found a gun before, but what is the most legal thing to do if it were to happen? Does it have to turned in to the police? After all, it's likely if the person left it somewhere, like at some shooting spot, and comes back to find it's not there, he or she will likely report it stolen. Or does one post a sign saying "Gun Found" and then give it to the person that knows the serial number? Or is one legally allowed to keep it if they find it, even though it's not a good thing to do?

 

[RVNvet]

Many crimes have been solved by someone finding a gun and turning it in. I worked on a couple, myself. Also, it's a crime to keep it. If you turn in something you find, and the owner never claims it, it will be given to you (though I'm not sure if that's true about firearms). I once 'found' a brand new Sage fly rod and case in a pawnshop for $25.00...worth about $800.00 at that time. I bought it, then had second thoughts and called the police to report it. The owner, who had it stolen from his car, called me and told me I could keep it, as the insurance company had paid him off many months before. I called the insurance company, and they said I could keep it, too. I've caught many, many trout with that rod, over the years.

164.065 Theft of lost, mislaid property. A person who comes into control of property of another that the person knows or has good reason to know to have been lost, mislaid or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient, commits theft if, with intent to deprive the owner thereof, the person fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to the owner. [1971 c.743 §126]

In addition, if the 'theft' is of a firearm, it's a Class C Felony. If convicted of it, you would never again be allow to carry a firearm.

Max

 

[dragonsden73]

A couple years ago I was elk hunting with my step brother. He downed a big bull....only because I did a header as I ran around the corner...should've been mine!!!! After about 3 or 4 hours of field dressing and getting it up to the road, we were off to his house to hang it. We were up late skinning it, then hit the shower and crashed at his place. The next morning he realized his rifle, along with a friend's was missing. We went back to where we loaded up the elk, and there they both were leaning on a tree right where we parked.

Got lucky.

EDIT:

Yeah....I did say big bull...here's the trip in question for all you hunters

 

[capiefogman]

my stepfather was hunting one time and found a 30m1 in the woods in back of our house we asked everyone around the area were we lived no one lost one we called the r.c.m.p. they came and got the gun it had been stollen about five years before that the owner came after and thanked my stepfather and tolded us it was left to him when his dad passed and before he went to the house to get the gun and other things someone had broke in and stoled some things and the gun was one of the things they took he gave my stepfather 200 dollors for call the r.c.m.p. if you could have seen this man when he came to our house that day to thank my stepfather he was so happy i thought he was going to cry he was one happy man i just thought you mite want to here about this

 

[clearconscience]

Yeah you may get by for a while with getting a new gun if your conscience can handle that. But if you get caught most likely you go to jail and lose your right to have guns.

Good luck.

 

[tallshipsgo]

Yeah you may get by for a while with getting a new gun if your conscience can handle that. But if you get caught most likely you go to jail and lose your right to have guns.

Good luck.

Yeah, if it's got bodies on it you're screwed. I'd rather not keep a gun I found simply because of that. God knows what the previous owner did with it and I'm not willing to take the chance that it was used in a less than legal manner. Personally, I'm not that interested in being a long term guest of the state.

 

[tallshipsgo]

Fot that matter, don't even handle the weapon. If - big, giant if - it was used to commit a crime you'd simply contaminate the evidence by playing with the gun. Just call LE and let them deal with the gun.

 

[tallshipsgo]

Yeah....I did say big bull...here's the trip in question for all you hunters

Beauty by the way! Sucks that you missed it though!

 

[Will]

Finders/keepers doesn't apply to firearms. I bought a car at auction several years ago and found a Raven .25 under the seat. I called the local PD and told them. They came and picked up the pistol, never heard any more but know my hands are clean concerning that pistol. Who know if that pistol was used for bad, just not worth the risk.

 

[Hawaiian]

Most of us can afford to buy the same gun if we want one. Not worth taking the risk of what could happen to you if the gun was dirty. On the other hand, if it was left at a local target shooting spot, I would post a sign and let them know to call the local LEO as the gun was turned in to them. If I lost one of my guns, I would sure like to be able to get it back. What goes around comes around. Do what is RIGHT.

 

[soberups]

Do the right thing and report it.

If you were meant to have it, you will. If you report it, and its clean, and you wind up getting to keep it....your conscience will be clear and you can then enjoy the gun with no worries.

I like my other guns too much to be willing to risk losing them all by keeping one I found somewhere that might be hot.

 

[keitha300wsm]

I learned by someone elses mistake. A guy I know found a nice bow laying in the middle of a logging road while out hunting. He bragged about it some, how nice it was, until he got a knock on his door by police and was arrested for theft. Had to do a 100 hrs of community service and lost the bow. I will never keep anything I find and probably leave it lay, contact police, and tell them where to find it.