How to handle finding a pistol left behind by someone

[John G C 1]

I shoot at a very rural range. It is gated but essentially just twenty acres with a fence, a framed in area with a roof, and a huge pile of sand. You can not get much more basic.

So I show up the other day and the place is locked up tight but when I get in there is a newish Glock sitting out on the bench. No one is around, place is locked, gun is exposed to weather.

So I had to decide whether to leave it there outside in the cold ( I am in Michigan; it is 5 degrees outside today) or toss it in the car and take it to the police station.........

Lucky me two guys pulled in behind me and said that they knew a guy who had said he was going to show up that morning to shoot and they had his number. We called. Yeah, it was his and he freaked out and asked me to wait for him to show up to pick it up, which I did.

Had no one been there, what would you have done? Left the gun sitting there?

 

[chicharrones]

I've never been in that situation and I'm not sure what is the legal thing to do.

I might make up a sign and post it saying "Gun Found call xxx-xxx-xxxx" and see if the caller can describe what is missing. If it's a match, meet them at the range to return it.

If no phone matches or no callers after a week, I'd consider taking the gun to the local police.

It would probably be better to post a sign saying "Gun Found call local police at xxx-xxx-xxxx". Then turn in that gun to the local police.

 

[drband]

Everybody might have different plans for this one... but I would NOT leave it there regardless of circumstances. Maybe post a note with your phone number or email. If caller can identify completely, has bill of sale, or some such confirmation it could be returned with a clear conscience. Otherwise, drop it off with police but post a note.

Glad you found the owner. Makes you wonder...

 

[John G C 1]

I suppose if I did take it to the police I could call them first. I just did not want to have a gun I did not own in the car.

The guy seemed surprised I called and gave it back to him.

 

[Fiv3r]

I think I would have left a note with my number and give the guy a chance to pick it up without having to go through the cops. Even though it's a foolish thing to do, I would feel even more embarrassed if I had to go fetch it from the police station. Then again, one of our local LEOs has the habit of forgetting his issued gun at home and needing his wife to bring it to him at the station

I live in an area where there is still common sense about guns. I think if I were to be pulled over and had a lost gun in my car, the cop would probably be happier about that than leaving an unguarded weapon about. Besides, you found the gun at a shooting range. It's not like it was dumped in a gutter in the middle of the bad part of town.

 

[walnut1704]

My first reaction would be "Glock fairy! Free gun!". After coming to my senses I would take it with me, and attempt to locate the owner through whatever means possible, other members, posting a notice at the range (sans pertinent details of course), etc. If that failed, I'd eventually turn it into the police. After testing it...just to be sure...

I would never leave a firearm unattended.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I would probably try to get in touch with someone that works for or owned the range and see if they wanted to take responsibility of the gun until they figured out the situation.

If that was not an option then I'd call local PD and see if they could send a deputy out to pick it up.

Personally, I would NOT take possession of it and leave the range.

 

[milemaker13]

Weird... I couldn't imagine leaving a gun behind like that, but... Never say never. We don't know the situation when he left it..
That's a tuff call.. around here I would alert the RSO.
But there wasn't one in your situation. I wouldn't want to involve police (could cause trouble for the owner?) But then again, I wouldnt like to handle/transport a gun in that situation.

You say its a locked/ gated place? You could've contacted the range/club administrator.

Ok, back in Colorado springs there was an open range near town.. in that case, I'd probably have called the cops. No telling what could've gone down up there.

 

[il.bill]

This is a situation I had never considered and I can now see there are several 'reasonable' approaches that could be taken. I usually go shooting on Thursday, my day off, and it is rare that anyone other than one or two of my buddies is at the rural range at the same time. We have a range association meeting coming up in a couple of weeks and I will bring this up to see what the Board, the Range Safety Officer, and the members have to say. Finding any unattended firearm, my first thought, after looking around for the owner, would be to leave it in place and call the local police. Finding one at the shooting range almost seems to add a different dimension to the issue. Thanks for bringing this concept up for reflection!

 

[444]

I would take the gun and find out who owned it.

The idea of involving the police at any point would never enter my mind.

FWIW: I have found guns people left at a range before, so I know what I did about it.

 

[cp1969]

Found two guns in a rental house my mother-in-law was moving into. Nobody ever came looking for them, so I still have them.

A friend lost a .22 pistol off his motorcycle. We thoroughly re-traced his route and never found it. Same friend found a Beretta semi-auto shotgun on a gravel road while pheasant hunting. Overall, he came out way ahead.

If it happened to me today, I'd turn it in to the cops. They have the ability to determine ownership; I don't.

 

[robhof]

I tend to agree with 444, how police handle turned weapons varies widely, but never involves careful handling of non-crime related firearms, I have 2 nephews that are in LE, one a Deputy and the other a city Police. They both told me of incidents of guns being turned in from being found and after a few weeks, their fellow officers took the guns out for testing by shooting a few boxes of ammo through them and not cleaning, so an owner who lost a primo gun might get back a well used and dirty gun. Also if some LE has a bad day and wants to enforce laws about leaving a firearm out where kids or felons could get them, then you're talking lawyer, fine and possible jail. Cops are the last resort unless you're LE or related to them.

 

[entropy]

I shoot at a very rural range. It is gated but essentially just twenty acres with a fence, a framed in area with a roof, and a huge pile of sand. You can not get much more basic.

So I show up the other day and the place is locked up tight but when I get in there is a newish Glock sitting out on the bench. No one is around, place is locked, gun is exposed to weather.

So I had to decide whether to leave it there outside in the cold ( I am in Michigan; it is 5 degrees outside today) or toss it in the car and take it to the police station.........

Lucky me two guys pulled in behind me and said that they knew a guy who had said he was going to show up that morning to shoot and they had his number. We called. Yeah, it was his and he freaked out and asked me to wait for him to show up to pick it up, which I did.

Had no one been there, what would you have done? Left the gun sitting there?

I wiould have left it in the clubhouse with a note, then emailed the Prez. Our membership is honest enough I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Cops are the last resort unless you're LE or related to them.

Even then I'd hesitate; many Dept';s still melt down evidence and turned-in guns. My Dad had to hand in a gun someone pointed at him, knowing they'd melt it down. A Bisley SAA made in 1905.

 

[Coyote3855]

I suppose the correct answer depends on the jurisdiction including state laws and local ordinances. Given the circumstances (locked range with limited access) and the fact that I live in a gun friendly state, I would not hesitate to secure the firearm and contact whoever is responsible for the range. I assume that person would be contacted by whoever left the pistol. If I called any of LE contacts to come pick up the gun, I suspect they would tell me bring it in rather than sending a deputy on such an errand.

 

[Coyote3855]

I would have left it in the clubhouse with a note, then emailed the Prez. Our membership is honest enough I wouldn't worry about it too much..

As I read the OP, there is no clubhouse nor range "employees" nor staff.

 

[JeffG]

I would have emptied and secured the gun. And waited for the owner's return. If nobody showed by the time I was done shooting, I would have stapled a business card where the gun was left, with email contact info, and notified the president of the range. If I was the gun owner, I wouldn't be happy going through the police to get my gun back, needless involvement.

 

[entropy]

As I read the OP, there is no clubhouse nor range "employees" nor staff.

True, I menatlly transcribed it to the range I belong to; I guess I'd have done the same as JeffG in that situation.

 

[Waveski]

"many Dept';s still melt down evidence and turned-in guns."

Well , a Glock would melt right quick anyway. I too would be reluctant to involve the police , but much more so if the firearm in question were a 75 year old Colt than in the case of the Glock in question.

If I were the owner I would hope that some right minded person would intervene , without LE. Pretty embarrassing to be that person.

 

[Craig_AR]

The described situation offers an interesting confluence of law, ethics, and safety.
The first aspect, legal, would depend on local and state law. In a jurisdiction with firearm registration and a prohibition against possession of a gun not registered to the person holding it, I would not leave the property with the gun. If there were no such legal problem, JeffG seems to have a good plan. I would first exhaust efforts to contact the range administrator or owner while waiting for the gun owner to appear.
If there is no immediate resolution, if the law prohibits me from carrying a gun not registered to me I would not take it with me, but I would do my best to hide it on the property when I left, and follow up with the range membership coordinator. If there is no legal issue, I'd take the gun with me and follow up with the coordinator. Given that the range is a membership activity, there is no reason to bring law enforcement into the process. Either I or a range coordinator holds the gun for safety while the coordinator gets word out to the membership. If the law for licensed and registered carry is a problem, the range coordinator can handle calling the police after trying to determine and contact the owner.
Safety issue is basic - we don't want a gun lying around to be found by someone less concerned over law and safety.

 

[edwardware]

I would absolutely not leave it.

I'd take it when I was finished, and leave a sign (or several) with a phone # and limited description, and notify the club (if there's such an organization to notify.

If I didn't get a call with verifying details (where, when, serial, etc) in a few days, then it'd be time to consider involving the police. In SC, my recollection is that lost property reverts to the state, not the finder, if the owner can't be found. Kinda stinks. . .

 

[JohnBiltz]

In Arizona, I'd take the gun, leave a note and contact the range president. Stopped by police in Arizona and having a gun and being in trouble. Seriously, that is funny.

In California, probably not.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

I shoot at a very rural range. It is gated but essentially just twenty acres with a fence, a framed in area with a roof, and a huge pile of sand. You can not get much more basic.

So I show up the other day and the place is locked up tight but when I get in there is a newish Glock sitting out on the bench. No one is around, place is locked, gun is exposed to weather.

So I had to decide whether to leave it there outside in the cold ( I am in Michigan; it is 5 degrees outside today) or toss it in the car and take it to the police station.........

Lucky me two guys pulled in behind me and said that they knew a guy who had said he was going to show up that morning to shoot and they had his number. We called. Yeah, it was his and he freaked out and asked me to wait for him to show up to pick it up, which I did.

Had no one been there, what would you have done? Left the gun sitting there?

I would never intentionally leave an operational firearm sitting in a public place. Nor would I involve police unless there was some reason to think a crime had been committed. My goal would be to ensure public safety while doing my best to get the firearm returned to its rightful owner with minimal fuss or embarrassment to them without any risk of government interference or even government notice what happened. I'd hate to see anyone get in trouble or be more inconvenienced than necessary by an honest mistake.

The details of carrying this out depend somewhat on the local culture and how well I know others associated with the range who might assist in the above goals. In some places, taking possession of a firearm might be problematic as one might be accused of theft, etc. If this was a concern one could simply remove the barrel and leave a note with the rest of the gun saying what was done and why. But this creates a risk that the slide and frame could still be stolen and not returned to the rightful owner. I like the note idea, especially if there is a witness present that could confirm how the gun was found and that it was taken with the intent to return to the rightful owner and prevent misuse of an unattended firearm. I'd also want to contact parties associated with the range to put the word out in hopes of returning the firearm quickly to the rightful owner. But I gotta admit that I've shot at ranges before where I would not be completely comfortable with that approach.

Some of the ranges I've used have a well-articulated lost and found policy. In those cases, the answer is easy: follow the policy.

 

[WestKentucky]

I was almost in a similar situation once several years ago. Guy packed up and grabbed his case but left a pistol laying on the bench. He packed up to leave and I noticed it and yelled to get his attention. He came back and got it. Since then I have actually lost a pistol while hunting and learned a little more about he legal situation. In KY, a lost gun when found is just the same as a lost penny. Whoever finds it has no requirement to report it, register it, etc. It's just their lucky day that the gun fairy visited. If the gun is reported as lost, and is then found and reported as such (again no requirement to do so) then they will call the guy who lost it and set up arrangements for the gun to be returned. Mine hasn't been found...It's somewhere on my buddies farm. I keep telling him to watch out, the deer might be able to shoot back.

 

[scaatylobo]

POSSIBLY due to being a retired LEO, my first thought would be CRIME HERE.

I would be VERY suspicious of such an incident ---- especially in my state that you MUST have a license to possess a handgun.

I would take a pic of the gun,then call for an officer to come get it ----- AND no way would I leave any fingerprints on it in the event it was used in a crime.

Guess that is what comes from being a cop for over a quarter century .

 

[Armybrat]

In Austin, Texas a couple of years ago after returning home from school, my 12 year old grandson went out the back door to play and spotted this gun under the slider (see picture). He ran back inside to inform his dad, who immediately called the police without touching it.

Turns out the S&W 9mm was left there by a former neighbor lady (with mental health issues) who apparently had been "stalking" & entering some houses in the neighborhood while the families were gone. She was probably frightened off when they returned home (she was not able to gain entry through the locked doors or windows). One of the neighbors discovered that the woman had actually come into their house while they were absent, fixed herself breakfast and took a shower!

Anyway, an officer showed up at son's home within an hour and filled out a report, then took the gun & the woman's purse back to the station. He did clear the loaded weapon first, of course.

A couple of weeks later the woman showed up at son's front door & asked to have her gun back. Son told her the cops had it, and to never step foot on his property again & to stay away from his family.

He called the station a couple days later for a follow-up, and was informed that she had come into the office to claim her gun & purse. The OOD gave them both back to her!