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  • nlghthawk

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 24, 2010
    121
    11
    San Antonio
    I had a buddy of mine who I know to be anti-gun call me and tell me he was changing a tire on his car and he found a gun where the spare was. The car was a rental prior to his purchase and the gun was pretty rusted so it had been there a few years. I have cleaned it up and shot it and it works fine, but it needs some parts replaced on it to make it acceptable. However, I am uncertain of the legality of owning this gun.

    I found a site that you can run serial numbers through a database but it is a site from Florida. Would the legality of a gun be in a national database? I don't want to own something that could cause me problems and I don't want to cause issues for my friend.

    Its not a cheap gun either so its kind of a nice find and I don't want to just give it up if I can keep it. But its not the a nice find if it will cause me trouble.

    Suggestions?
    Gun Zone Deals
     

    TexCzech

    Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jan 16, 2014
    180
    11
    South Texas
    I had a simular issue several years ago , I was driving home late one night from a job down a 2 lane county road in West Texas when I thought I saw a gun laying in the center divider . I spun around an low an behold I was right , it was a older J frame S&W . I kept it a few days trying to figure out what to do with it , finally I just took it to the local sheriffs office a turned it in an never heard nothing of it . I was worried it could possibly be linked to a crime an figured that I could probably buy ten of them for the cost of the trouble it could cause . Its really your call an I don't blame you for wanting to keep it but its rolling the dice .
     

    azkcr

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 24, 2013
    505
    1
    Borger, TX
    Ya. I guard my guns and keep track of them religiously.
    I hate to say it, but it would sound like someone left it there on purpose, if we were not in TX. There's no gun registry, so I don't know why someone would ditch it.

    If it were me, I'm a cheap ass and like crazy objects. So I'd keep it and make sure it never got in the hands of law.
    I wouldn't ever really worry about serial numbers tracing it to a crime, BC how do they know at a crime scene what gun's serial number was that committed it?
    They would only know what the marks on the ballistic are, and if somehow, miraculously they were able to find an intact bullet, could they ever match it to the rifling.
    CSI is not realistic. At all...
    So if it were me, living in TX and not really worried about anything ever, I'd keep it.
     
    Last edited:

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,007
    96
    Lampasas, Texas
    I'd keep it also.

    But then again, maybe all rental companies keep a gun in with the spare for renter's protection while changing a tire. Or maybe not so much........
     

    txinvestigator

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 28, 2008
    14,204
    96
    Ft Worth, TX
    It could be a reported stolen gun. It could also be a gun someone forget.

    For me, I cannot just "keep it". I would at the minimum contact the local police and ask if it is stolen. I would be prepared to have them keep it if it is reported stolen.
     

    Gilgondorin

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 21, 2012
    242
    11
    San Antonio
    Either that, or lost. If you ever get questioned on possession when it's been listed as lost, seems to me like you'll automatically become suspected of theft.
     

    Reaper277

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 23, 2013
    154
    1
    Personally I would keep it, or take it to a gun show and sell it off. If you contact the police about it, they most likely will ask you to surrender it regardless if it's clean or not.
     

    txinvestigator

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 28, 2008
    14,204
    96
    Ft Worth, TX
    Personally I would keep it, or take it to a gun show and sell it off. If you contact the police about it, they most likely will ask you to surrender it regardless if it's clean or not.

    Why?

    "Hello, police property person, I recently obtained this handgun and want to be certain it is not stolen. Could you please check, and if so I will gladly tell you from where I obtained it."
     

    vmax

    TGT Addict
    TGT Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Apr 15, 2013
    17,302
    96
    I'm not criticizing anyone for their opinion here, I just want to inject a different angle

    what if the gun was stolen and you are the guy it was stolen from? If you check it out and it was stolen if might be able to get back to it's owner.

    personally, I'd be just a little nervous keeping the gun and not knowing for sure
     
    Last edited:

    mitchntx

    Sarcasm Sensei
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jan 15, 2012
    4,117
    66
    Waco-ish
    Learn me ...

    What's the difference in keeping a found gun and taking possession of a gun from a private sale with no legal transfer?

    Other than actually meeting someone for a FTF transfer and an exchange of funds, what's the difference?
    In a private sale, the buyer really doesn't know for a certainty that the gun is legal and an exchange of funds doesn't legally entitle you to anything without some sort of paper trail. The assumption is everything is legit.

    In the case of a found gun, the assumption is just the opposite.

    So I really can't follow the logic of doing away with a found gun and no problems buying a gun privately.

    I'm not advocating either way ... just learn me something today.
     
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