At long last a stolen gun comes home!

[SharpsDressedMan]

Anchorage PD will still have the number of the gun and incident report still on file in archives.

 

[PRM]

Do any of the LEOs on here have any input as to how to best recover one of these firearms?

I have spent my entire career in the (rural) South ~ nuff said. Just about all the officers, departments, and prosecutors I have worked with have been pro-2nd Amendment and very supportive of gun rights. I am sure that is not the case everywhere. But, in the South, its pretty common.

Guns are generally returned as expeditiously as possible to the legal owner after a case is finished. The general exception would be a perpetrator's weapon that they used in a crime which is confiscated when the case goes to trial. This is not inclusive where a person is found innocent.

If you are in an area that does not support your rights or is slow to take action. You just have to be persistent. You can always get an attorney involved - but in that you have to weigh the cost. Although not related to this specific thread, I have previously posted about an internet gun deal that went bad I was involved in. The seller lied about the gun's condition and then would not take a return. I had a good civil case - but traveling a 1000 miles to another state, hiring an attorney, lost work, hotels and meals considered, I would have spent far more pursuing it than I would have ever got back.

The most protracted case I ever worked was in the early 90s. We had an auction in our county where a number of guns were listed. They were all run through NCIC and one came back with a "hit". It had been a bank guards personal weapon that was taken during a robbery in California back in the 70s. It was impossible to determine how many hands or how many states the gun had been through. The weapon was returned to the victims family.

The moral of that story, is have your serial numbers stored in a safe place. Make sure they are correctly entered if your gun(s) are stolen - you never know when or where they will turn up.

 

[sixgunner455]

Viper - if the county isn't working with you to get your property returned, perhaps a call to the state AG is in order.

 

[CathyGo]

Viper- As great as modern technology is nothing gets results like a personal visit or a letter from a lawyer delivered certified mail(get a signature). Check your local and state laws for limits on evidense. Some places have limits and some have limits that specifically exempt "weapons".

Rocketmedic- Firearms aren't any different than any other piece of property in some area. In other areas they get special exemptions from laws requiring them to give "evidense" back to it's proper owner in an expedient manner. Most of these laws were written by people who are squeamish about guns. There are also several police organizations that have campaigned to be able to hold onto guns longer. So guns get taken off the evidense time limit bill to allow for the extra time needed to trace firarms involved in crimes but no other special protection for gun owners gets enacted because it's simply not a priority.

 

[Viper]

Thanks. The Georgia AG is a good suggestion as is the personal visit. I am an ex-lawyer bit that doesn't seem to mean much. A couple of the county police officers have made an effort to do something, but they hit a stone wall at the DA's office.

 

[col.lemat]

I had an M1 carbine stolen in1988. In California if you arnt in law enforcement dont expect to ever see your stuff again

 

[Black Butte]

A very worthwhile story, thank you for sharing. Leaving guns unattended in cars is a bad idea, they can be stolen and used to commit crimes.

 

[mortablunt]

It's a good thing you got your gun back and gang thugs went to prison. Justice was served.

 

[Hocka Louis]

U r a nice guy and waited too long to escalate if only by getting an atorney letter. So glad u got your wonderful gun back!