A fellow gun-nut and I were talking during lunch over a trip to pick up some ammo and we got on the topic of legitimately finding a gun. As in, if you were walking along the road and FOUND a hangun on the side of the road. This did NOT happen to either of us, or anyone we know, purely hypothetical, no winks, no cross-fingers, no sarcasm.

 

So what would be the way to handle the situation?

1. Did you come into possession legally?

2. Are you required by LAW to report the find?

3. If a pistol, do you need a permit?

 

ac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VQfR302sA0

 

Seriously - call the cops.

I would call the cops. Of course I would make sure I check the local statutes to see how long the item has to be picked up by its owner before it became my property and make sure I have a PPP ready Of course I doubt it would surrive going missing or end up as evidence of some sort making that impossible.

Are we talking...

 

"Was going to my home range and found a gun in a box"

 

or

 

"Was hiking in the back woods/along the river/along the GSP near Newark/Irvington/Bloomfield and found a gun on the side of the road?"

 

If option 1, see about finding the range owner or safety officer, someone might of just been stupid to forget a gun.

 

Option 2.... what legitimate reason would there be for a handgun to be laying on the side of the street? (except it was dumped in commission of a crime).

 

In any case, lost property would have to be announced to let the owner find it, and time has to go by before you can legally claim it. Call the police

Found a crusty old rifle somewhere in the woods... I would be tempted to keep it.

I know that in America, after running the serial number past the police (I forget if they need the physical gun or not) you can keep it if they cant find the rightfull owner. I'm sure that even if thats legal here it would never get back to you

Don't touch it. Call the cops. Don't let anyone else touch it either. It could be instrumental in solving a heinous crime.

I would call the cops without question.

 

There could be bodies on the gun that if you got caught with the gun would be tied to you. I would want no part of it personally.

If it's a HK P-7, nice revolver, or a high end 1911 I'm keeping it. If it's plastic, or junk then I call the cops.

i found a couple guns in a range...surrendered it to the RO.

Immediately call the cops, and stand there to make sure nobody else tries to mess with it. No exceptions, no matter how nice it is.

The right thing to do would be to carefully, but thoroughly disassemble and clean each part. Use some M-Pro 7 or something, and be sure to clean the grips really well. Perhaps apply a light coat of oil to any moving parts and wipe any metal surfaces with a clean rag. THEN call the cops. It's quite rude to hand someone a dirty gun.

The right thing to do would be to carefully, but thoroughly disassemble and clean each part. Use some M-Pro 7 or something, and be sure to clean the grips really well. Perhaps apply a light coat of oil to any moving parts and wipe any metal surfaces with a clean rag. THEN call the cops. It's quite rude to hand someone a dirty gun.

 

Call the cops. Done. Can we watch some more cartoons now?

If found at the range: turn it into the RO...

 

If found somewhere else, turn it into the police with the caveat that if it was not in the eTrace for a crime, or if the original owner doesn't claim it, then it's yours. Honestly, doing eTrace on the thing should be easy enough, and all it really shows is where the gun was most recently transferred (FFL) or held by police/Feds (crime gun that was once documented and somehow made it back out into the world)

 

Chances are: even if the gun were used in a crime, there would be no real way to prove it. When someone is shot by a gun, and all police have are the spent cases and mangled bullet fragments, they can figure out what type of gun and caliber it was, but nothing else really. They won't know the serial number (how could they?)... heck they won't know anything beyond a certain manufacturer (like if it's a Glock firing pin mark, but not if it was a 17, 19, or 26). So all they can say is: "we're looking for a gun, possibly Glock, 9mm", and hope that any Glocks which turn up in a search will have enough forensic material (fingerprints/DNA) to match it to a particular suspect. It's usually why all those new forensics labs dedicated to tracking guns by their forensics end up being complete failures... It's also why micro-stamping is also completely retarded... (not to mention: easy to spoof)

Click to see what Eddie Eagle says to do

If it's a HK P-7, nice revolver, or a high end 1911 I'm keeping it. If it's plastic, or junk then I call the cops.

 

2C:20-6. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake

A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows 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 is guilty of theft if, knowing the identity of the owner and with purpose to deprive said owner thereof, he converts the property to his own use.

 

L.1978, c. 95, s. 2C:20-6, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.

2C:20-6. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake

A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows 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 is guilty of theft if, knowing the identity of the owner and with purpose to deprive said owner thereof, he converts the property to his own use.

 

L.1978, c. 95, s. 2C:20-6, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.

 

Bingo. This is also true if you found a bag of money somewhere. You're legally obligated to turn it in to the police to allow the rightful owner to claim it. If no one does, you get it back... I think 30 days is the norm?

6 months

Thanks officer! still keeping it though

See, now if I found 10k in cash......I would have to think long and hard about that.

See, now if I found 10k in cash......I would have to think long and hard about that.

 

Me too, about how I'm gonna spend it!

See, now if I found 10k in cash......I would have to think long and hard about that.

 

If you keep, it will be difficult to hide. But not impossible. Depends on who lost it, and how badly they want it back.

10k is pretty easy to hide. I'm not sure what you mean but the only way I would get caught would be them seeing me pick it up or put it in the bank.

10k is only 2 SVI's with 5 mags each.

 

Pft... would take me 30 mins to spend.

If you keep, it will be difficult to hide. But not impossible. Depends on who lost it, and how badly they want it back.

 

Why?? 10K is nothing to put some place, not like it's going to get noticed, just don't move the whole 10K at 1 time, 9999 and your good.

10k is pretty easy to hide.

This. $10k in hundreds is a stack of cash about an inch tall. In fifties, about two inches tall. Even if it was $10k in twenties, the stack is maybe 8 inches tall. Not like it's going to fill a brief case. Just make sure you don't deposit more than $10k at a time. $10,000.00 is fine.....$10,000.01 and a report is filled for completing a large currency transaction.

That's one months credit card bill!

That's one months credit card bill!

 

It would buy a decent amount of ammo and/ or components to reload..

This. $10k in hundreds is a stack of cash about an inch tall. In fifties, about two inches tall. Even if it was $10k in twenties, the stack is maybe 8 inches tall. Not like it's going to fill a brief case. Just make sure you don't deposit more than $10k at a time. $10,000.00 is fine.....$10,000.01 and a report is filled for completing a large currency transaction.

 

i believe its 9999.99 and one penny over its reported