[Chipperman]

Suppose you're walking through the park with your child. S/He is exploring ahead and suddenly runs back to you.
"Daddy/Mommy, I found a gun!"
You walk over and see a handgun lying next to a bush, presumably tossed aside after a crime.
You do not have a cell phone with you, and the nearest phone is a 10 minute walk.

What do you do? :confused:

1. Pick it up and make safe
2. Leave it and call the Police
3. Pick it up carefully with with intent of not disturbing any prints
4. Other

I can see advantages and disadvantages to all of these options. I think the best option would be to call on a cell phone while guarding the "evidence" until the Cops show. That's why I did not give that option.

What do you all think?

[Jesse H]

Hang around the gun while your wife goes make the call.

[TheMariner]

if the kid isn't too young tell him to sit by it while you go to the phone or send him to the phone, or just stop the next person who passes by and ask them to call the police for you

[KPersimmon]

"What do you do?

1. Pick it up and make safe
2. Leave it and call the Police
3. Pick it up carefully with with intent of not disturbing any prints
4. Other "



What a dilemma!
As far as the police are concerned, the ONLY answer is #2, at least as long as you want to remain on "this side" of the law. As we can assume that your child is too young to place the call himself, your only choice would be to make that 10 minute walk to the phone, and then go back to the scene to secure it. Choice #1 might be construed as potential tampering with evidence, and #3 is a determination that is best left to those who get paid to worry about such things--eg. police.

As for #4, if it was absolutely necessary to secure the gun, what could be done is to find a discarded sack in a trash receptacle and carefully scoop the gun into it with a stick, making sure you carefully mark the location where it was found, and then go make that call.

Just my $0.02.

[DMK]

If nobody touches it, it is safe.

You do not want to tamper with a crime scene. That could possibly screw up a case and let some scum go free on a technicality.

Prints are not the only things that you need to worry about disturbing. If you move anything at all, the whole scene is based on your word. Why do you think they take pictures before touching anything?

Best bet is to get somebody to call 911 for you while you ensure nobody else tampers with it. I'd say telling everybody that walked by "Quick call 911, get the police here NOW!" is bound to get somebody's attention. ;)

[Soap]

Keep the gun in sight so someone doesn't touch it, then call the police.

[cordex]

I'd say telling everybody that walked by "Quick call 911, get the police here NOW!" is bound to get somebody's attention.
Just an observation ...
If Drizzt posted a news article that featured someone finding a gun on the ground and then yelling at everyone who walked by to call the cops, I bet it wouldn't take but a few minutes for there to be a squirt of THR fury at the silly person who freaked out at the sight of a weapon.

[AJ Dual]

Is it a nice gun?...

Just kidding. :D

If the child was old enough, and we were in a familiar park near home etc. I'd send the child to a payphone to call 911. I would stand gaurd by the gun.

If the gun was in an inconspicuous enough spot, I might just leave it and go make the call myself, then come back to watch it.

I wouldn't want to tamper with a crime scene either.

[Bruce]

I wouldn't touch it. Either make the walk to call or see if someone around can call or watch it while you go call. If there are others around there is a very good chance that someone will have a cell phone if you don't. With the choices given though I would say number 2 is the only way to go. In fact, it would be a good idea not to disturb the scene around the gun any more than you already have. There may be crucial forensic evidence that could easily be destroyed.

That's my .02 anyway.

[answerguy]

STOP, DON'T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA, TELL AN ADULT

Isn't that the drill?

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Is it a nice gun?...

Well that was my though too... :D

Interesting question though. I have to take my motorcycle through some pretty ****py parts of south east San Francisco, one time stopped at a light I saw some empty shell casings in the gutter. Called SFPD on the cell and they wern't all that interested.


Go figure.


edit- wow I never knew there was an auto filter on this board.
Originally '****py' was a word that rhymes with 'happy'.

[cordex]

wow I never knew there was an auto filter on this board.
Originally '****py' was a word that rhymes with 'happy'.
Filter is nothing new.
Have noticed that a synonym for feces seems to have been added.

Was confused when I first saw "scra.per" printed as "s****er".

[Serpico]

If it's a Glock, I'd just leave it there and walk on....;) If it's a P7 or custom 1911 I'd tell my kid, "look what the gun fairy left for us."

[Mal H]

On the word filter - I fixed the list so that words like scraper should be ok, but **** is caught.

[Edit]
Yep, it works. (Maybe a little too PC for my tastes though, but it's not a biggy.)

[QuarterBoreGunner]

"look what the gun fairy left for us."

LOL! :D I put my tooth underneath my pillow and all I got was this lousy quarter.

Mal H- I agree, no biggie, I was just surprised by it; never noticed it before.

[cool45auto]

I guess I'd have to go with #4 and go find a cop. I would most certainly not leave it for some kid to maybe find.

[Jim K]

Hi, QuarterBoreGunner,

The SFPD knew all about those empties. That was where they were shooting down conservatives and Republicans.

Jim

[Sisco]

Lets say you did everything right, (whatever right is) and the police came and took the gun.
If it can't be traced to a crime and no owner for it is found, do you have a claim to it under some type of "found property" law?

[LiquidTension]

Who knows, they could be like the Columbia Police Department and not care about it. My roommate's car was broken into, his stereo stolen along with his cds while he was at work in Five Points. When he looked in the back seat, there were six or seven LIVE 9mm rounds. Called the cops, they just PICKED THEM UP WITH THEIR HANDS - NO GLOVES! Didn't bother to get prints or anything off of them! If I had known they'd do that, I woulda just kept the dang things! They had no interest in solving the crime. Oh well, never know till you try I guess.

[KPersimmon]

"Lets say you did everything right, (whatever right is) and the police came and took the gun.
If it can't be traced to a crime and no owner for it is found, do you have a claim to it under some type of "found property" law?"



Well...No, not in this lifetime! ;)

[Selfdfenz]

Use a small magnet to send a Morris code message to the police using the Verichip embedded in the back of you neck.:p

I'd leave the thing right where it is and go call the police. I'd probably go back to the location and see that they came and......how long it took. Get the name of officer that comes so I could follow up later.

S-

[David Scott]

Never, ever touch something that might be evidence. Just picking it up might obscure the only fingerprint that would solve a murder. Send someone for the cops and protect the site. If you don't have a cell phone or another adult with you, flag down a passerby. Don't let anyone go near the scene, they might disturb footprints or items dropped by a criminal. Even if you don't watch CSI, you should keep in mind that the tiniest bits of evidence can make or break a case -- locally, the cops caught a serial rapist based on DNA from the saliva in a cigarette butt he dropped.

[Zander]

You walk over and see a handgun lying next to a bush, presumably tossed aside after a crime.How the heck do you know this or presume this unless you are referencing a real-world incident?!?

Some posters seem to watch way too much TV.

Pick the firearm up [the hanky in the breast-pocket of your blazer will suffice] and use your firearm-skill to clear it.

After you've made it 'safe', use someone who has access to NCIC to make sure it isn't stolen. If it isn't, it's yours to do with as you please.

If it is stolen, you'll do the right thing and deliver it to the nearest local PD station with a full explanation of how it was found and secured by you as a concerned citizen.

Either way, you'll be covered by your efforts.

In short, just because someone found a pistol lying in the grass in a park does not mean that it was used by someone to commit a crime.

Act accordingly...

[answerguy]

After you've made it 'safe', use someone who has access to NCIC to make sure it isn't stolen. If it isn't, it's yours to do with as you please.

I said "HUH"?
NICS can be used to trace stolen firearms? News to me.

[KPersimmon]

After you've made it 'safe', use someone who has access to NCIC to make sure it isn't stolen. If it isn't, it's yours to do with as you please.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I said "HUH"?
NICS can be used to trace stolen firearms? News to me."


NCIC (National Crime Information Center) is maintained by the FBI and is accessible only by law enforcement agencies. NCIC can help determine, among many other things, whether a gun might be stolen. (I say "might be" because not all stolen guns get entered into the system, frequently because the owner hasn't taken the responsibility of recording the serial number/s after purchase.) Anway, NCIC certainly isn't something that the average citizen can gain access to, and any LE employee who disseminates information from it to non-law-enforcement people is subject to criminal prosecution.

[Selfdfenz]

Gotta say ...in the process of making the weapon safe, hanky or no, there is a good likelihood you will clobber any finger prints on the weapon. Any BG worth his salt would have wiped the gun down before he gave it a pitch but you never know. And there may be some prints on the mag if it's a semi automatic or possibly a partial on one of the rounds??

Personally, I would rather have the piece go to LE and make sure it was not involved in a crime a whole lot more than I would be interested in having it as an addition to my collection. For that reason I'd want any prints on the weapon intact.

Once in a while when a pistol is used to shoot someone at close range, blood will be deposited on the weapon. Usually near the business end. It could be visible but more likely it will have been a mist or microdroplet(s) and not clearly visible to the casual observer. Especially on a dark colored surface and under poor lighting conditions. It's hard enough to find sometimes under good conditions when you know its there and are looking. It's sometimes seen inside and outside on the the slide, on the spring, on the outside of the barrel etc.
You wouldn't want to do anything to remove that deposition fiddling around with a hanky.

I watch COPS occassionally. Sometimes I wonder about the way officers handle weapons and other items they pickup. With a weapon, I can see the compelling need to make sure the piece is safe, or made so, but they do sometime tend to handle these items excessively and w/o gloves and sometimes more than one officer handles the item. Some officers are prepared and are equipped to bag the evidence ASAP. Because they know to do it, I consider that as evidence of good training.

Can't say they always do it this way but I once caught a show where some LAPD officers picked up a firearm. They did an excellent job of handling the weapon and much to preserve any evidence that might have been on the gun. Textbook job! I wondered at the time if the deal with OJ caused them to look at their procedures or if those two officers were just really on their game that day.



S-

See, I do say good things about LEOs sometimes.

[labgrade]

"Anway, NCIC certainly isn't something that the average citizen can gain access to, ... '

Kee-rekt, but still, one can find out if certain things are entered through "clever enough inquiries" through legitimate inquiries.

"Certain means" will allow you to inquire if certain items are enetered, & if not, are "clean."

After that - it's your choice.

[LoneStranger]

In regards to NCIC and chasing firearms, isn't there a federal court proceeding where the Justice Dept. is trying to stop the KALI police agencies from doing this very thing? Something about the law saying you can't do that?

[2nd Amendment]

It's a small town here, if there's been a crime recently(within the last 20 minutes) involving a firearm I'll know about it. If not all I can say is "Hey, thanks!" Would probably have the local finest run the serial number though.

[KPersimmon]

The danger that I can foresee with keeping a found handgun or any other identifiable property (for instance, with a serial number or owner-applied number) is that the item might have been lost legitimately. In other words, you never know that the handgun found in the park might not belong to a CCW or LEO who, for whatever reason, simply lost the weapon. Just after you made off with the property, the owner could then do a police report on a lost or stolen gun and, as long as the owner can furnish a serial number, that gun could be entered into NCIC!

:what:

Of course, you might think you could get away with it as long as you never intend to sell the gun, but what if a police officer finds you with it on a traffic stop, for instance? Whether you think it's right or not, he would very likely run the handgun, along with your driver's license and tag, for a stolen/wanted check. And then the "fun" begins when the NCIC hit turns up on your (dishonestly) acquired prize!
:cuss:

All these are "might be's" of course, but they're certainly in the realm of possibility.

(Hey, chipperman, I hope you're enjoying all this!)


;)

[JohnBT]

I would likely turn it in...hoping that I might help someone out in some way. It's not like I 'need' another gun.

Whether or not I picked it up would depend on the legality of whether or not I was permitted to possess a gun in that locality. I wouldn't want to be caught touching a handgun in D.C. or Maryland.

OTOH, I see no legal reason to turn it in. Finders keepers, possession is 9/10ths of the law, toughski-toobadski, losers weepers, etc. Why would I assume that it was evidence of any sort? Now, if I read in the paper the next morning that they were looking for a gun I'd give it to them.

I found a clean holster once in a pile of leaves behind my neighbor's house. I guess I could have called it in after I searched the pile twice looking for the gun.

I found $163 in the gutter in front of my house mixed in with the crushed beer cans some slob had dumped. Do you suppose it was money from a robbery?

Found a new surveyor's tape on the side of the road once. I hope it wasn't hot.

I love finding stuff.

John