Duke of Doubt
member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,863
Not exactly a legal question; I know the law on point and what the various legal answers are. More an ethical question on which I'm honestly curious as to the firearms community's gut reaction.
Suppose hypothetically that during an expedition to discover, document and recover historic wrecked aircraft, you (or a client) came across an undocumented civilian wreck and found, among other things, one or more cased hunting firearms and/or a personal handgun in restorable-to-operable condition.
Would you work to return the firearm to the owner or the owner's estate? Would you leave it onsite? Would you take it, restore it and shoot it? Would you report any of this to the authorities? Assume that legally the choice is yours, as the applicable statute for lost property has passed, and that you have permission from the landowner (following your non-permitted but non-trespass expedition to the site last season) to enter onto his land and to remove any aircraft and related personal property, not to include human remains or property comingled with human remains.
Suppose hypothetically that during an expedition to discover, document and recover historic wrecked aircraft, you (or a client) came across an undocumented civilian wreck and found, among other things, one or more cased hunting firearms and/or a personal handgun in restorable-to-operable condition.
Would you work to return the firearm to the owner or the owner's estate? Would you leave it onsite? Would you take it, restore it and shoot it? Would you report any of this to the authorities? Assume that legally the choice is yours, as the applicable statute for lost property has passed, and that you have permission from the landowner (following your non-permitted but non-trespass expedition to the site last season) to enter onto his land and to remove any aircraft and related personal property, not to include human remains or property comingled with human remains.