[gunsmith]

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/012007/01202007/252182
By CATHY DYSON

E.T. Bullock was checking out the guns at Gander Mountain last week when one caught his eye.

The Spotsylvania County man saw a rifle, just like the one his father and grandfather owned. He picked it up and looked down the barrel. Then, he ran his fingers over two small notches carved into the stock.

Bullock's father always marked his guns so he could tell them from those of other hunters. The nicks also signified how many generations had owned it.

"It gave me chills when I saw it," Bullock said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, that is my Daddy's rifle.'"

Bullock also recognized a chip near the metal and a scraped-up screw by the trigger--even though he hadn't seen the gun for more than a decade.

Twelve years ago, the rifle was on loan to Bullock's son, when someone broke into his home and stole all his guns, hunting knives and a boat.

The Bullocks didn't have serial numbers, so all they could do was describe the items to the police.

For a while, the elder Bullock, who's 62, searched gun shops and pawn stores.

He eventually gave up hope he'd ever hunt another squirrel, rabbit or raccoon with the J.C. Higgins .22-caliber automatic.

The rifle was part of Bullock's childhood. His father, Jim, and grandfather, Frank Allan, taught him how to shoot, and he first hunted with the rifle when he was about 11.

His family lived in Falmouth then--his aunt and uncle ran the old White Diner--and the Bullocks ate whatever they killed.

"We lived off the game then," Bullock said. "Everybody did."

Bullock's grandfather bought the rifle at least 70 years ago from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. store on Caroline Street.

The rifles were mass-produced, as many weapons are, said Steve Dominick, manager at Gander Mountain.

"There were probably more than 10,000 of those made," he said.

Gander Mountain bought the gun a year ago from a local resident, the manager said. He couldn't disclose any more information, but planned to contact the company's legal department.

"Very seldom do we get a stolen gun sold here," he said.

Bullock is just glad to have the heirloom back. Gander Mountain knocked $20 off the price and sold it to Bullock for $140.

He'll eventually give the rifle to his son, after he heeds his father's advice.

"He said, 'Before you pass away, you put your mark on it. That way, they'll know how many generations it's been in this family,'" Bullock said.

To reach CATHY DYSON: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com

[Rasputin747]

Good to know he found it!

Though I find it cheap they still sold it to him even though it was stolen...

[hexidismal]

Well it's a nice story that it he got it back anyway. It's your own fault though if you don't have detailed records, including serial numbers, of your firearms.

[History Prof]

It'd be nice if:

a) they were able to reverse trace the rifle back to the thief.

b) Gander Mountain would just eat the $140 and give him his cash back. Positive publicity goes a LOOONGG way.

But I agree with Hex. I have Ser# records save on every computer and network I use.

[armoredman]

Gander missed a HUGE publicity move. That lost $160 would have generated thousands of revenue, but now, they may lose money, being seen as chintzy.
Nice he got it back, great story!:cool:

[FieroCDSP]

Gander missed a HUGE publicity move. That lost $160 would have generated thousands of revenue, but now, they may lose money, being seen as chintzy

Yeah, but if they just handed it to him (with no proof other than his word), then they'd be sued by everyone for giving away a firearm, etc, etc....There'd be no end to the legal issues. If I were the manager of that GM, I'd slip him a check in the mail for the amount-$10. Call it a manager special rebate or something. It's not free if he paid ten dollars after the rebate, right?

[vynx]

Three things come to mind.

One, is a 70 yr old JC Higgins .22 worth $140?

Two, Thanks Dad - he gave me an old Remington Semi-auto .22 - it was old when he got it in the early 50's. And it even has "generational scratches" thanks to my older brother.

Third, that 120 yr old Colt SAA, golly gee whiz see those marks they were put there by great, great, great grandpa - thats my gun...please give it to me.

If Gander Mtn starts giving away guns just remember all the old SAA Colts were stolen from my relatives first!

[hoghunting]

The Bullocks didn't have serial numbers, so all they could do was describe the items to the police.


A copy of that Police Report with a matching description of the rifle including the notches should have been a good reason to contact the Police Dept and report that the stolen rifle had been found and its location. The stolen rifle would have been returned to its rightful owner.

[Sharps-shooter]

If it had been my dad's Jc higgins .22, I would have gladly paid the cash to walk away with it, even if I'd had the serial #. Original thief is probably long gone, and that way I'd take it home now rather than going through some sort of red tape.

As it happens, my dad sold his JC higgins 22 to a cousin in PA, who gave it to his nephew out in California. But we recently got it back, and it will most likely go to the next member of the tribe, who is due to be born in spring. it's a levergun. Not worth $140 fair market value, maybe $90

[psyopspec]

Dontcha just love a happpy ending? You're right that GM missed an opportunity, but were I the gent in the story, 140 would be a small price to pay to get back an heirloom.

[ArfinGreebly]

Makes a pleasant chance from the regular diet of gloom & doom stuff, with a side order of sky-is-falling.

I would imagine that the rifle could be traced back through an owner or two, but it's doubful if you'd ever get as far as the original fence.

Somewhere along the line you'd hit a dead end.

Where'd you buy that?
Some guy. Gun Show.
Get a receipt?
That was six years ago! I've moved 3 times since then. Heck no, I ain't got that receipt any more.

[thexrayboy]

Well it's a nice story that it he got it back anyway. It's your own fault though if you don't have detailed records, including serial numbers, of your firearms.



Not all guns have serial numbers. Many pre NFA firearms lack them. I have a
.22 single action that my late father in law was given when he was a boy in the 20's. It has no serial number on it. It's a nice little gun and the one he used to teach my two daughters to start shooting with years ago.

[The-Fly]

+1 on keeping serial #'s. I keep a copy of mine in an encrypted database on both my home machine and my work machine.

[steveno]

serial numbers were not required until 1968 so a lot of the cheaper firearms made by the companies won't have serial numbers. I have a Mossberg 151M and a Stevens 620 without serial numbers

[foghornl]

Some firearms, particularly those that were very popular at the time, and before the infamous GCA of '68 didn't have serial numbers.

I have seen some old Mossberg 500 series shotguns w/o numbers, and some Marlin .22's sans number.

For those that didn't have numbers, I remember my great uncle said "Put your name/addy/phone number or a small slip of paper, and put it under the butt pad."

Not gun related, but I got my stolen bicycle back that way...I had put my name/addy/phone number inside the bike headlight, and written it on the batteries in there, and under the seat.

[offthepaper]

Last year I inherited an old dbl barrel shotgun (mfg by Acme Arms Co.). likely from around 1900. No s/n anywhere on it. If it were to discovered to be stolen, my first suspect would be that damn coyote again. He never would leave that stuff alone. :neener:

[Geno]

Interesting story but, he just committed a felony by knowingly purchasing a stolen firearm.

In Re: to the store simply giving it to him, I can't agree. Every Tom, Dick and Harry would be walking in and retorting, "Ain't that my Dad's gun up there?! I don't know the serial number, but I can remember the wood stock...oh, and the barrel was steel...yeap...that's it!"

If it was stolen, call the police! That said, one must take into account the intellect of marking up a firearm's stock and steel to let people know how many generations it had been in the family. A picture and sales receipt can do the same. But that's just me.

Anyone remember the crop circles?!?!?! Those were real too.

Doc2005

[jeepmor]

A copy of that Police Report with a matching description of the rifle including the notches should have been a good reason to contact the Police Dept and report that the stolen rifle had been found and its location. The stolen rifle would have been returned to its rightful owner.

Great, get the .gov's involved and wait another generation for the bureaucrats to get the gun back to his family. I would have just bought it back also considering the .gov hassle.

[nhhillbilly]

12 years ago most police department did not have computerized records. Trying to get a 12 year old burglary report will be very difficult if not impossible.

I am glad they got the family gun back.

[tideguyinva]

thats funny it was right here in my town this happened. i personally dont like the gander mountain here but maybe others are better

[hoghunting]

Quote:
A copy of that Police Report with a matching description of the rifle including the notches should have been a good reason to contact the Police Dept and report that the stolen rifle had been found and its location. The stolen rifle would have been returned to its rightful owner.



Great, get the .gov's involved and wait another generation for the bureaucrats to get the gun back to his family. I would have just bought it back also considering the .gov hassle.


Obviously you have never been involved in having a stolen firearm returned. I found one of my stolen rifles at a gun show for sale by a dealer. I went home and found my copy of the police report and returned to the show. I grabbed one of the Police Officers that was on duty and we went to the dealer's tables. Officer compared description of gun to the police report and told dealer he could return the rifle to me or be charged with a stolen weapon. That simple. I don't consider that a .gov hastle.

[Robert Hairless]

History Prof:

It'd be nice if:

a) they were able to reverse trace the rifle back to the thief.

That's a possible argument in favor of registering all guns.

[SoCalShooter]

Its great they found the weapon, but if he could have shown proof of previous ownership, if I were the manager I probably would have just given him the weapon for free.

[Sharps-shooter]

Interesting story but, he just committed a felony by knowingly purchasing a stolen firearm.

ha! good for him.

[mbt2001]

uhhh, not just serial numbers anymore... Also, keep the Proof of Purchase. Or the insurance policy denoting the serial numbers. That way, in a Katrina gun confiscation nightmare, you can get your guns back...

Just my $0.02

[The Rifleman]

The very first thing through my mind when I read the origional post and before I read what anyone else said was that this is a Felony - recieving stolen property.

First off - Gander Mountains first responsibility was to call the police at this point and turn in the person that sold it to them. You have to fill out a bill of sale when you sell a used firearm to any gun dealer.

So Gander Mountain bought it in good faith.

But the man that sold it - didn't.

You would be suprised how many people have a sudden recollection of memory when faced with thousands of dollars of fines and lawyers fees and court costs and years in jail...

Without a doubt - this man would have gotten his gun back without any cost and Gander Mountain should have prosecuted the individual that sold it to them. Probably some crack head that needed money. Most legal situations first name changes but the last name doesn't....

[SolaScriptura139]

"He said, 'Before you pass away, you put your mark on it. That way, they'll know how many generations it's been in this family,'" Bullock said.

That's a sweet heritage to pass down. Hopefully I'll pick up a really beautiful gun someday for a similar purpose (among many others).

[wdlsguy]

The Bullocks didn't have serial numbers, so all they could do was describe the items to the police.
BATFE has a nice Personal Firearms Record (http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/p33128prsnl_fa_rec.pdf) you can download, print and fill out for your records.

[History Prof]

History Prof:
It'd be nice if:

a) they were able to reverse trace the rifle back to the thief.
That's a possible argument in favor of registering all guns. To a certain degree, it is already "registred." Enough so that they might be able to trace it back with 4473s, dealer log books and a little detective footwork. I must humbly disagree that this is an argument for "further" registration, though. It *would* be an argument *against* repeal of CGA'68, though.

[jnojr]

It'd be nice if:

a) they were able to reverse trace the rifle back to the thief.

All he'd have to do is say, "Oh, I bought it at some yard sale a while back..."

b) Gander Mountain would just eat the $140 and give him his cash back. Positive publicity goes a LOOONGG way.

Because they'd have a line out the door of people identifying long-lost rifles ;)

Now, if the rifle was behind a counter, and someone could identify marks without being able to see them, I could see them kicking down, especially with a $160 item. But if someone is touching it, and excitedly "identifying" marks that are right there... that isn't so impressive.

In any case, $140 to retrieve a bit of family history is money well-spent.

[Correia]

A copy of that Police Report with a matching description of the rifle including the notches should have been a good reason to contact the Police Dept and report that the stolen rifle had been found and its location. The stolen rifle would have been returned to its rightful owner.

The report probably said something along the line of: Rifle. Old. Has two scratches.

As the owner of a gunstore, I'll be glad to just toss over guns that I paid money for because you found one that had two scratches that belonged to your grandfather. :p

Honestly I would need a little more evidence than that before I had Free Gun Day.

[hoghunting]

My copy of the police report had the make, model, caliber, description and serial number. If his police report stated "Rifle, old, two scratches", then he should have given the officer more information and requested a better description on the report.

[hueytaxi]

Something similar happened in my family a couple years ago and i enlisted some forums for help. Not back into shooting then, I don't know if I posted here or not. When my Father died, my stepmother reminded me of Dad's old guns and she had them still. I had not seen them since about 1959. I don't know how many or which ones she talked about because I felt I would never see them. He had a recent Remington Auto loading 12 gauge, 2 Mannlichers in 2 calibers from WWII era, a trapdoor Springfield, 2 SXS shotguns with hammers and a Harper's Ferry rifle. My stepmother dies soon after my Dad. I am not an heir, but share the same attorney as my Dad had. In conversation, I mentioned the weapons and found that I did have a claim to them since they were acquired while my Dad and Mom were married. I contacted the nieces handling the estate without success with them claiming no knowledge of them. (Some could have been sold over the years). I contacted Dad's best friend from WWII and into the present and he claimed that they probably never existed. He said my Dad gave him the Remington which was probable as his sight failed and he said the smaller caliber Mannlicher was his wifes, not Dad's (absolute lie). I had my attorney draft a letter to all of the principles explaining my intent to turn this over to the State Attorney and then got on the forums, called every auction house, estate liquidation, and pawnshop I could find. With no real descriptions or SN, I expected nothing, but did achieve what I wanted. After a few weeks the caretakers of Dad's place found 4 of the weapons, a Remington SxS, a Parkhurst SxS, a fair 1873 Springfield and the Harper's Ferry M1855 Rifle. Will never know what happened or why, but these are back in the family.

[hueytaxi]

Something similar happened in my family a couple years ago and i enlisted some forums for help. Not back into shooting then, I don't know if I posted here or not. When my Father died, my stepmother reminded me of Dad's old guns and she had them still. I had not seen them since about 1959. I don't know how many or which ones she talked about because I felt I would never see them. He had a recent Remington Auto loading 12 gauge, 2 Mannlichers in 2 calibers from WWII era, a trapdoor Springfield, 2 SXS shotguns with hammers and a Harper's Ferry rifle. My stepmother dies soon after my Dad. I am not an heir, but share the same attorney as my Dad had. In conversation, I mentioned the weapons and found that I did have a claim to them since they were acquired while my Dad and Mom were married. I contacted the nieces handling the estate without success with them claiming no knowledge of them. (Some could have been sold over the years). I contacted Dad's best friend from WWII and into the present and he claimed that they probably never existed. He said my Dad gave him the Remington which was probable as his sight failed and he said the smaller caliber Mannlicher was his wifes, not Dad's (absolute lie). I had my attorney draft a letter to all of the principles explaining my intent to turn this over to the State Attorney and then got on the forums, called every auction house, estate liquidation, and pawnshop I could find. With no real descriptions or SN, I expected nothing, but did achieve what I wanted. After a few weeks the caretakers of Dad's place found 4 of the weapons, a Remington SxS, a Parkhurst SxS, a fair 1873 Springfield and the Harper's Ferry M1855 Rifle. Will never know what happened or why, but these are back in the family.

[Shipwreck]

That's a heck of a story...