johncantiusgarand
Member
So I got a phone call from a friend at the police department asking me if I'd ever sold or traded "so and so" a particular pistol in the past. When I responded in the affirmative, he informed me that "so and so" had tried to trade the pistol to a local gun store which had the pistol run through NCIC. It came back stolen, so the pistol was seized and turned over to the police department. Naturally, my friend identified me as the one from whom he'd acquired said stolen pistol.
Since I knew not only the guy I got the pistol from, but the two owners before him and was willing to provide that information to the police, I wasn't worried about getting into any trouble. And I knew that they had all come by it honestly and would provide whatever information they could to the police. All were willing to cooperate fully in any investigation. But I felt bad about my friend who, instead of getting a good gun trade that day, instead got his pistol seized.
Now here is where it gets weird. No one from any police agency tried to contact me. A stolen pistol was recovered, I was identified as the previous owner, but no one seemed to be interested in how I came by it. After several weeks, I inquired into the status of the investigation and was told this: First, the pistol was entered into NCIC by a Sheriff's department in another state as stolen back in the late 90's. Because our police department recovered it, it was taken out of NCIC and is no longer listed as stolen. But the Sheriff's department that originally entered it as stolen cannot provide the original victim's information, because, according to an investigator in that department, the most recently elected sheriff "cleaned house" by having all the old records destroyed! My police deparment says that there is a very good chance that the pistol may be returned to my friend since there is no longer an official record of its having been stolen in the first place. As for the Sheriff's department that originally listed it in NCIC as stolen, the sheriff's investigator is leaving it up to the sheriff himself to make whatever official statement is needed by our department as to the status of that pistol.
In the interim, my friend was pretty upset about having his pistol seized. And, even though neither I nor the three previous owners knew of the pistol's stolen status, I felt responsible for my friend's suffering. I told him what our police department had said about the possibility of getting the pistol back but added that I was also willing to return the revolver that he had originally traded to me for the now seized pistol. He eagerly took the revolver back with the promise that, if the pistol was returned to him, he'd give it to me.
Now somewhere out there is someone who had his pistol stolen. But his Sheriff's department let him down by destroying the report. I don't know what, if anything, they are doing about identifying the original victim. On a purely ethical basis, I hope they identify him and get him his pistol back. Failing that, however, forgive me for wishing the pistol returned to my friend so that he can give it to me; I'm out about $400.
I don't really have a question here; just venting. I've heard a lot of cautionary tales about getting bills of sale or other identifying information from all parties one does private gun deals with. That may help one avoid trouble with the law, but it is no guarantee against losing money. I didn't have to give my friend his revolver back, but I thought that I ought to. Unfortunately, the trading back stopped there; the other prevous owners feel no such responsibility. I may get that pistol back one day, but I doubt it.
Since I knew not only the guy I got the pistol from, but the two owners before him and was willing to provide that information to the police, I wasn't worried about getting into any trouble. And I knew that they had all come by it honestly and would provide whatever information they could to the police. All were willing to cooperate fully in any investigation. But I felt bad about my friend who, instead of getting a good gun trade that day, instead got his pistol seized.
Now here is where it gets weird. No one from any police agency tried to contact me. A stolen pistol was recovered, I was identified as the previous owner, but no one seemed to be interested in how I came by it. After several weeks, I inquired into the status of the investigation and was told this: First, the pistol was entered into NCIC by a Sheriff's department in another state as stolen back in the late 90's. Because our police department recovered it, it was taken out of NCIC and is no longer listed as stolen. But the Sheriff's department that originally entered it as stolen cannot provide the original victim's information, because, according to an investigator in that department, the most recently elected sheriff "cleaned house" by having all the old records destroyed! My police deparment says that there is a very good chance that the pistol may be returned to my friend since there is no longer an official record of its having been stolen in the first place. As for the Sheriff's department that originally listed it in NCIC as stolen, the sheriff's investigator is leaving it up to the sheriff himself to make whatever official statement is needed by our department as to the status of that pistol.
In the interim, my friend was pretty upset about having his pistol seized. And, even though neither I nor the three previous owners knew of the pistol's stolen status, I felt responsible for my friend's suffering. I told him what our police department had said about the possibility of getting the pistol back but added that I was also willing to return the revolver that he had originally traded to me for the now seized pistol. He eagerly took the revolver back with the promise that, if the pistol was returned to him, he'd give it to me.
Now somewhere out there is someone who had his pistol stolen. But his Sheriff's department let him down by destroying the report. I don't know what, if anything, they are doing about identifying the original victim. On a purely ethical basis, I hope they identify him and get him his pistol back. Failing that, however, forgive me for wishing the pistol returned to my friend so that he can give it to me; I'm out about $400.
I don't really have a question here; just venting. I've heard a lot of cautionary tales about getting bills of sale or other identifying information from all parties one does private gun deals with. That may help one avoid trouble with the law, but it is no guarantee against losing money. I didn't have to give my friend his revolver back, but I thought that I ought to. Unfortunately, the trading back stopped there; the other prevous owners feel no such responsibility. I may get that pistol back one day, but I doubt it.
