ArizonaShooting.ORG

Saw this article this morning and was confused. It claimed a man in Minnesota had bought a handgun at a big box retailer, and then when encountering a deputy in the field who ran his serial #, was arrested for possession of a stolen gun. Before reading the article, I assumed the store had bought it from somebody who exchanged it, but no.

Unfortunately, as I read the article, it never bothered to actually explain how the stolen weapon had ended up for sale at the big box retailer. The article instead went on to talk about how gun shops are not allowed to use the FBI national database of stolen weapons which could have prevented this. An important subject for sure,...but I was frustrated at the particular incident not being explained. Fortunately, the article had a link to the original burglary report, so I clicked on that to see if I could piece it together.

Amazingly, the gun was a Springfield .40S&W (XD perhaps?) stolen in Glendale in 2013. In 2018, someone in Atlanta (a used gun broker?) came across the gun and noted there was some sort of hit on it out of Glendale and contacted Glendale PD by phone trying to ascertain the disposition of the firearm. The particular detective or officer responsible was away from the phone at the time and apparently only had a voicemail message with incomplete contact info to reply to whomever was asking about the gun. The officer opted to reply to the request out of Atlanta by snail mail.

And that's the last that is recorded about the stolen weapon, until the unaware buyer from Minnesota is popped for having it in 2021. In that time, the gun had already been sold once to a different buyer by the big box retailer and returned by that purchaser and put back into inventory.

Near as I can figure, whatever used gun broker or other entity out of Atlanta that originally contacted Glendale PD gave GPD a number of days to respond to their information request, and when GPD didn't respond in that time frame, the holder of the gun apparently decided the matter was resolved or the hit no longer active and went ahead and sold the gun into the commercial re-selling stream, where it ultimately ended up on display in the retailer's gun counter in Minnesota.

Does this happen often? I'm certain it is quite rare, as this is the first such story like this I've ever heard of.

https://www.wsmv.com/2022/11/11/how-sto ... ever-know/

Glendale PD theft report https://www.documentcloud.org/documents ... =1&title=1

I bet there's no law/s covering pawn-hold/s, or trade-in holds, in that jurisdiction.

pneuby wrote: ↑November 12th, 2022, 3:34 pm I bet there's no law/s covering pawn-hold/s, or trade-in holds, in that jurisdiction.

Oh there probably is. But pawn hold searches go through the local PD. If it wasn't reported stolen in the state where it was sold to the shop, it could have easily been overlooked.

I know this is not the same issue but:
Most don't realise, that if you buy a used gun at the LGS, you take a chance on it being stolen. They do not have to run the gun, only the person buying it. If you do the transfer at the LGS, they run the person, not the gun.
So which is better, buying used at the LGS or person to person meet........

Can’t one have your local PD run it through their data base?

xerts1191 wrote: ↑November 14th, 2022, 9:16 am Can’t one have your local PD run it through their data base?

Only way PD will run a gun is if they have it in their custody,
the PD doesn't run a gun check service for private citizens

Dang it

xerts1191 wrote: ↑November 14th, 2022, 9:16 am Can’t one have your local PD run it through their data base?

Some agencies will offer this service. It’s not typical though.

Some states like Florida maintained an online search tool, but I can’t vouch for its accuracy.

http://pas.fdle.state.fl.us/pas/restric ... lenGun.jsf

xerts1191 wrote: ↑November 14th, 2022, 9:16 am Can’t one have your local PD run it through their data base?

Yes - Phoenix and Peoria PD have checked firearms for me in the past. Usually, because I had bought it from another board member or at least used and years later wanted to give it to a family member. Once they even came to my house, the officer on the phone was ....well where is this gun you think might be stolen right now!

Tenring wrote: ↑November 14th, 2022, 4:13 pm

xerts1191 wrote: ↑November 14th, 2022, 9:16 am Can’t one have your local PD run it through their data base?

Yes - Phoenix and Peoria PD have checked firearms for me in the past. Usually, because I had bought it from another board member or at least used and years later wanted to give it to a family member. Once they even came to my house, the officer on the phone was ....well where is this gun you think might be stolen right now!

I've wondered about this... most of my private party gun purchases have been from friends - people I've known for years - but there are a couple that have come from board members (here or elsewhere) - and a few bought from friends were bought by them from private parties - so... I've thought about asking local PD to run them - but wasn't sure what sort of reaction I'd get - or if there was any hedge against getting arrested in the unlikely event that I had one that was stolen.

I've had one situation where I was planning to buy a gun from a private party and got a weird vibe about the seller so I just moved on. Simply not worth the risk. With other larger private party purchases I'll insist on a bill of sale with the seller's DL number on it (e.g. I bought a new-to-me welder a few months ago). I'll say "I'm asking for this so that if the cops ever show up at my house looking for a stolen XXXXXX I can hand them this bill of sale where you tell me it is yours to sell." I've had a couple of sellers refuse - and I move on... If they won't sign off that it's theirs to sell - I won't buy it...

I don't do this with guns because I understand the distrust of the gubbermunt and the desire to not create trackability that could be abused.

I have a stolen 1911 out there and every year, a Detective so and so emails me asking if it has been found, along with a form to fill out.

Once there was an add posted with pictures and I really thought it was my 1911, so I set up the meet and contacted officer so and so. I was told to check it out and if mine to contact him, but there would be no one arrested. He said the guy probably does not even know it is stolen and there is a good chance the firearm has been through a dozen or more hands by now.

On the old forum there was a section/place to post up stolen firearms, so we could all help keep an eye out......... hmmmmm

Pretty sure in Glendale they don't have a pawn license for FFL holders. I sold a couple guns to a gun store and he put a tag on it and put it on the wall two minutes later. Phoenix does have a pawn license for any company dealing in used goods. Serial numbers are sent it and I have been in a store when cops have shown up to pick up a stolen gun.

Tenring wrote: ↑November 13th, 2022, 6:40 pm I know this is not the same issue but:
Most don't realise, that if you buy a used gun at the LGS, you take a chance on it being stolen. They do not have to run the gun, only the person buying it. If you do the transfer at the LGS, they run the person, not the gun.
So which is better, buying used at the LGS or person to person meet........

I was under the impression that if you have an FFL, own a brick and mortar store, operating as a firearms retailer, that you must obtain a pawn broker's license in order to deal used guns and were subject to the same hold and clear times as a pawn shop. Is that not true?

Every FFL I have sold or traded in a gun over the last 20 years around Phoenix, pretty sure they had to run the numbers on it.

No idea about other places. I do remember reading a story about a gun writer who bought a used rifle through an FFL. Later pawned and when he picked it up, it was flagged as stolen and he lost possession of it. Could be as simple as someone messing up a number when they run it.

Huh, every used gun I’ve bought under my FFL I’ve run through our local PD.
Also, this year when they did my ATF inspection they wanted the info on every used firearm I bought, even those coming from places like Aim Surplus.