Free Gun?

[teflon6string]

A co-worker told me about an interesting "accessory" that came with a used sports car he bought last month, a gun!

Here's all I know about it:

- He bought the car in Seattle and lives here in Portland.

- Going through the trunk, he looked in a storage bag for a removable roof panel and found a loaded pistol.

- The seller was a broker who probably didn't do much (if anything) to the car while they had it for a couple months.

- The car was already registered and licensed to the new owner when the pistol was discovered.


I'm interested what you guys and gals might do in the same situation.

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[civilian75]

Gun? GUN?? What gun!?!?!?


Now, seriously, tell your "co-worker":
1. Do not touch it. "He" doesn't want his fingerprints on it.
2. If there is no way to discretely find out who the owner is,
a. find out if it has been reported stolen or lost. If you don't how ('cause I don't) ask a FFL, or,
b. I'd turn it to a LEO.

PS. PM, Wichaka. He is LEO. He'd know for sure what's best.

 

[Redcap]

What gun?

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

The Oregon State Police Firearms Unit can check a serial # against the stolen weapons files in LEDS and NCIC for dealers and any private citizen requesting this service. There is no fee for processing the stolen gun checks. To check a firearm against the stolen record files, call 1-800-432-5059. Local Alternate FICS Instant Check Number (For use when cell phone does not allow an 800 number) 503-585-6245

 

[BillM]

Contact law enforcement and have it checked out. If it's clean it's yours.

I've got a S&W model 32 J-frame that was buried in the glove compartment of a car a co-worker bought.
He said he had it "checked out"--but when I bought it from him I had the SN ran. It comes back
as "found 1977".

 

[RicInOR]

Well, hold on a second. Our good friends at the BATFE have been letting stolen guns go into the wild. They are still stolen and you would be in possession of stolen property.
Report Details ATF's Use Of Mentally Disabled In Gun Stings : The Two-Way : NPR
Watchdog Report - ATF uses rogue tactics in storefront stings across nation


So while I would initially agree that running it thru the database is a good idea, there is no guarantee.

 

[pokerace]

throw down.............

 

[Fast Eddie]

The liability outweighs the benefit for me. I would not want a gun of unknown origin, especially a pistol, in my possession. That "free gun" could cost him all of his Paid for Guns.

 

[elsie]

Since it involves two states, it might be considered an interstate transfer (bought the car in WA and he is resident in OR).

That could be a lot of trouble.


elsie

 

[jbett98]

He could pull a CarFax on the vehicle, and find out who the last owner was.

 

[Nickb]

I'm wondering what kind of person forgets a gun in a car... Makes me think it's stolen and they were trying to get rid of it.

But then again not everyone has their gun on their hip at all waking hours of the day.

 

[deen_ad]

But then again not everyone has their gun on their hip at all waking hours of the day.

I do, ever since the ex-girlfriends shrink called me to warn me she was out to shoot me. That was almost 30 years ago now.


Deen
NRA Life Member, Benefactor Level
Defender of Freedom Award
NRA Recruiter
Second Amendment Foundation Member
Washington Arms Collectors Member
Arms Collectors of SW Washington Member

"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have it, you'll probably never need one again!"

 

[U201491]

Middle of the columbia somewhere?

 

[Swedish K]

I'm wondering what kind of person forgets a gun in a car... Makes me think it's stolen and they were trying to get rid of it.

But then again not everyone has their gun on their hip at all waking hours of the day.

there are a few ways this could have happened - First would be grandpa/dad had stashed the gun and the family didn't know about it - sold the car after his passing/stroke/dementia. Second - stashed it there when the car was in use, put the car away for future work and never got around to it and forgot it was there.
Oddly enough I know a guy who had a few UZI kits he had stashed in the attic of the house he had rented for several years. When the owner passed the family decided to sell off all the property and started by posting eviction notices to any renters. The place was a house with a huge attached shop which he had packed fairly full. He returned home from a road trip to discover he had 30 days or so to find a new place to live and get moved out. In the crazy rush of trying to relocate he forgot about his parts sets he had stashed away. Every time I see /talk to him if someone brings up UZIs he gets a bit upset...

 

[Benny503]

My grandpa the one that introduced me to shooting gave me his old toyota corolla. When I cleaned it I found a loaded revolver in the trunk under neat the cover inside the spare tire. I gave it back to him and he never remember that he hAd that gun. Funny how people can forget things easily.

 

[coop44]

A co-worker told me about an interesting "accessory" that came with a used sports car he bought last month, a gun!

Here's all I know about it:

- He bought the car in Seattle and lives here in Portland.

- Going through the trunk, he looked in a storage bag for a removable roof panel and found a loaded pistol.

- The seller was a broker who probably didn't do much (if anything) to the car while they had it for a couple months.

- The car was already registered and licensed to the new owner when the pistol was discovered.


I'm interested what you guys and gals might do in the same situation.

In this situation I would keep the gun

 

[Stomper]

Seriously, run the gun's numbers. If there's no flag, then he's GTG.

 

[NoFlinch]

Depends on what TYPE of pistol it is.

DOCUMENT all your efforts to find the ownership/history.

I wouldn't be afraid to keep something like this if I could prove by documentation that I did my due diligence.

 

[clearconscience]

I was working for AAA doing road service and had a tire change on a car. The guy was in a restaurant and just told me to find him when I done. When getting the spare out I found a weathered derringer loaded with .22lr.
I unloaded it and when I was done told the guy I had something to show him.
He was surprised and said he lost it several months ago and had no idea where he put it.
Was hoping it wasn't his and he would give it to me.

My father n law owns a large farm on ohio. Has owned the house for close to 30 years and bought it from an old guy that passed.
About 5 years after he bought the house another old guy drove up and asked if he found the guns in the attic. Said the guy who lived there hid 5-7 guns in the attic and the family never recovered them.
The attic is pretty sketchy and you'd probably fall through the roof if you went up there, but he did manage to find an old CZ that was used by german ww2 pilots supposedly.

 

[The B]

All this advice is great, except nobody is asking the most important and relevant question - is it even a cool gun, or is it just some Jennings/Bersa/Taurus/throw it in the recycling bin on the curb gun?