If lost please return to…..

[DustyGmt]

My wife once left her purse in a shopping cart, that purse had her wallet, money, CC's, ID and the Glock I had bought for her. I can't remember a time when I was so mad. She walked in the door where we lived (abt 20 mins from the supermarket) and took one step and looked like she got hit by a lightening bolt. It dawned on her then and there and it startled me and I asked her what was wrong and she went sprinting out to the car and started crying when she didn't see her purse.

I was really mad and didn't handle it well, I wish I'd been a lil nicer about it, but at the end of the day somebody turned it into the front desk and they called the police where my wife had to go retrieve her things. Even after having gone through that, putting my name and info on my gun or mags had never occurred to me.

 

[shafter]

Best to turn it over to law enforcement. It may have been stolen or used in a crime or both. Let the police deal with it. I've never seen a gun labeled like that though.

 

[wayneinFL]

Only later do I realize that it has has name and social security number engraved on the receiver and the stock.

The gun to this day shoots great but I still look to find another one without the additional engraving.

I bought a shotgun off gunbroker. I picked it up locally. The guy at the counter asked which one.

I said, "The one with the amateur engraving on the side of the receiver."

Someone in the back yelled out, "Ya f@@king amateur!", and the counter guy hung his head down. He says, "Yeah... I know which one it is".

He pulled it out and showed me what he did. He did the engraving to cover a social security number, and did a pretty good job considering what he had to work with. You could see a few of the numbers if you knew they were there, but they weren't obvious.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

yeah I have never and don’t plan on losing one, but it happens. I’ve lost lots of other things.

We all like to think it won't happen to us, but...

We had a guy in the Army lose his M16 on night maneuvers (in the days before NVGs). Took the whole company a day to find it. After that, we all had to tie our rifles to our LBEs with 550 cord. I had a Sgt in another unit who was in the 82nd during Panama...one of his guys lost his M16 on the jump. Didn't lash it down correctly. Every hunting season, at least one or two guys post on the local hunting facebook group that their rifle or pistol fell off their ATV on some well-known trail x miles from the trail head. (I've never heard of one being found and returned.) And that's just the guys who admit to having lost a gun. Then there are the guys who are constantly losing their guns in boating accidents. I'm pretty sure it can happen to any of us.

 

[Jimbo80]

Not many people actually lose guns.

. You would be surprised. People leave guns behind at the range with some regularity. We even had a couple that were never claimed.

 

[westernrover]

It's a good idea. I'm going to do something like that. I carry everyday and have for about 5 years. I can't imagine ever losing my carry gun. I don't ever take it out for casual or routine tasks. But I have lost a handheld radio. My wife had thought to put my name and phone number on it and the person who found it called. Losing it didn't have the same implications of losing a firearm, but it was a $200 radio and I was glad to get it back. After that, I upgraded the return labels on all our radios. My wife had used masking tape and a ball point pen.

I got some Avery UltraDuty GHS Chemical Labels with "Permanent Adhesive, Waterproof, UV Resistant" features. I used a laser printer to apply the text. An inkjet would probably be better. Even so, they've held up for a couple years now. An engraved aluminum plate might be even more durable, but the these tough stickers were easier for me to figure out.

For guns, I can see using an engraved or stamped plate that is fixed with adhesive. It would be easy on a carefree stainless steel or polymer part. For a blued gun with beautiful wood, I could put it on a less consequential part like a scope ring.

I've never lost a gun, and I can't imagine being so careless with one as to lose it, but a nameplate seems like an easy thing to do and certainly doesn't have to ruin the gun or even spoil the looks.

Whoever left this Winchester behind, won't ever get it back:


If they'd had a nameplate on it, we'd at least know whose it was.

 

[westernrover]

I remember back in the 70's my mom used an electropencil to engrave all my dad's tools with his initials. At least if anyone ever ended up with one, they'd know it wasn't their own. I think she engraved stuff like our stereo and TV and other things that a burglar might take in hope of them being subsequently returned if they were ever recovered. I wouldn't doodle on a gun's metal with an electropencil, but if it worked on some aftermarket accessory like wood grips, aluminum scope rings, or some Magpul or other polymer part, it wouldn't ruin the gun. It might not do anything to secure the gun from being lost to pilfery, but it could aid in returning a lost and found item.

 

[Ignition Override]

Somebody was staying near a sister or s.i.l. (?) at a motel. This might have been on THR several years ago.
After a four-hour drive on the leg Outbound, she remembered that her gun was in the motel drawer.

They found the gun after the long drive back. This is one of the reasons I have a concealed gun safe for the car, and use it fairly often.

To help prevent any “Fun” event, possibly with very Tragic results, this safe which goes in a Subaru's console Certainly seems worth the very modest price, for peace of mind.

All it takes to easily do something dumb with a gun (or almost anything) is a single unexpected text/call about a family member's accident, or suddenly worsening medical condition.
Don't think it can happen?

Whether yes or no, it could easily risk a child’s life or future sanity, lasting their entire life.

 

[230RN]

Will someone explain to me why that stolen gun list is kept secret?

I'll bet the official explanation is pure whifflepoofic double-talking horse hockey..

Is the list amenable to attack by a FOIA request? Or law suit? Can whatever regulation that implements it be attacked on the Bruen basis as "regulation beyond the intent and content" of the legislation?

Terry, 230RN

 

[Goneshoot'n]

But I have lost a handheld radio. My wife had thought to put my name and phone number on it and the person who found it called. Losing it didn't have the same implications of losing a firearm, but it was a $200 radio and I was glad to get it back.

I have a friend (real friend, I would admit if it was me) who always loses his carry knives. Got to the point where he bought a half dozen of the same knife, in anticipation of losing them. He got one engraved with his name and number, and always gets it back. Sometimes it will take weeks or months, but it always comes back. I was thinking maybe someone would like to keep it, (nice knives, Leatherman skeletool), but doesn’t want one with someone else’s info etched on it

 

[3Crows]

If I found a rifle leaning against a tree in the forest I would take it and then endeavor to find the owner. If I found a handgun discarded along a roadway I would secure it without touching it and contact 911.

Years ago we were staying at a resort and we had our Boston Whaler 19 feet Outrage in a stall. Several days into our stay we went across some rough water and a large, gold, Nights of Columbus rings rolls across the deck! Where did that come from! There was a name inside but nothing more. We asked around the resort and nobody knew of such a person working there or staying there. When we got home my wife contacted a police detective that she was friends with. He began a search and found that the ring belonged to a fellow who did stay at the resort but the name inside was a father in law who had passed the ring on to him. Owner and ring were reunited. We were in Missouri, live in Kansas and the ring belonged to a fellow from Minnesota! Turns out he was casting from the boat pier and the ring flung off and he had thought it went into the water and could not find it. Nope, it went into our boat and rolled under the center console out of sight until crossing a wake and it was jostled free to roll out.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I have returned four found firearms to their owners.
Two were almost by chance: one was to a husband whose wife had thrown it in the river where I had found it while kayaking, the other was found on a toilet tank at a gas station and later returned to the attendant.

The other two were holstered Glocks that were found in the mall parking lot where I ran a street sweeper at night while attending college. The first one had a gold detective's badge and was found near the mall office, I called the PD and they sent someone to pick it up. A few months later I found another holstered Glock in almost the same place, although this one didn't have a badge,
Again, the PD sent a unit to pick up the pistol.

Probably much embarrassment involved... .

 

[D.B. Cooper]

...I have lost a handheld radio. My wife had thought to put my name and phone number on it and the person who found it called. Losing it didn't have the same implications of losing a firearm, but it was a $200 radio and I was glad to get it back...

Must be an amateur radio operator.

 

[Tinker-S]

I freaked out when I miss place a magazine once. Drove 1 hour to the last place I thought it drop out my open car door. Turned out, I left it in the safe.

Losing a Gun… with great power comes great responsibility. Just DON’t Lose your guns! period

I am glad you were not looking for your hat, only to discover two hours later that it was in the last place you put it...on your head!

 

[Mark_Mark]

I am glad you were not looking for your hat, only to discover two hours later that it was in the last place you put it...on your head!

done that with my cell phone, right in my hands … Did you ^^^ do that with your hat

 

[Tinker-S]

done that with my cell phone, right in my hands … Did you ^^^ do that with your hat

Yes, Sir! But just for a minute or two!
And I wanted to accuse a team mate of taking it.

 

[Tinker-S]

We all like to think it won't happen to us, but...

We had a guy in the Army lose his M16 on night maneuvers (in the days before NVGs). Took the whole company a day to find it. After that, we all had to tie our rifles to our LBEs with 550 cord. I had a Sgt in another unit who was in the 82nd during Panama...one of his guys lost his M16 on the jump. Didn't lash it down correctly. Every hunting season, at least one or two guys post on the local hunting facebook group that their rifle or pistol fell off their ATV on some well-known trail x miles from the trail head. (I've never heard of one being found and returned.) And that's just the guys who admit to having lost a gun. Then there are the guys who are constantly losing their guns in boating accidents. I'm pretty sure it can happen to any of us.

I love good ol' war stories!
Some guys did not like the 2nd Looie, and he left his side arm at the latrine. A PVT found it, and the other guys were telling him: Ditch it in the hole!

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

In the Army the loss of a small arm is a greater offense than losing classified information or an aircraft and results in more severe punishment since it involves low ranking peons and not those who are well connected.

 

[230RN]

I am glad you were not looking for your hat, only to discover two hours later that it was in the last place you put it...on your head!

Reading glasses. Also parked on stoopit head. And this was before I got senile.

I rarely lose my keys since they're on a chain to my belt (along with my wallet) but I did set up a stout tag with my POB address on it, a note to drop in any mailbox, return postage guaranteed.

I did test it out once with a bunch of old junk keys on a ring by dropping it on the street and about a week later, there they were in my POB with a postage due envelope for about 75¢. Odd amount, I don't know how the post office figured it, but it was sure cheap insurance if I had lost my real keys.

But this will not work with guns, since guns aren't allowed in the Post Office. <cha-grin>

Terry, 230RN

 

[hawg]

Whoever left this Winchester behind, won't ever get it back:

This guy will never get this one back either. I'd like to know the story behind it. I found it while metal detecting in deep woods. It was empty and I didn't find any fired cases or the butt plate. Some hunter probably picked up the butt plate.

 

[illinoisburt]

A while back @GunnyUSMC had running threads on firearm traces. They seemed to indicate a fair number of lost guns being identified and returned (or attempted to be returned) to their owners by law enforcement.

 

[Appalachiannative]

Recent thread about losing and finding guns got me thinking… if I ever found a gun and it had some sort of identification from the owner, I would contact them right away. I expect most responsible people would do the same. It would take a lot of the complexity out of getting it back at least. Does anyone have a method to put their contact info on their guns that is plainly visible and doesn’t look bad? Preferably something removable since I know a lot of people including myself have a bit of turnover. Thoughts?

My father puts his initials on everything. He once engraved his full name on the surface on the slide that is on the inside of the ejection port on a 1911. That same gun coincidentally was stolen and has never been recovered so I don't know how much good it did. He put my initials under the little plastic cap with the duck on it on the tip of the rear grip of my wingmaster... Without my permission while I was sleeping X(. I also have a rifle that I bought used with the namy Cathy stamped into the stock. I left it on there and just think of it as the rifles name

 

[D.B. Cooper]

My father puts his initials on everything. He once engraved his full name on the surface on the slide that is on the inside of the ejection port on a 1911. That same gun coincidentally was stolen and has never been recovered so I don't know how much good it did. He put my initials under the little plastic cap with the duck on it on the tip of the rear grip of my wingmaster... Without my permission while I was sleeping X(. I also have a rifle that I bought used with the namy Cathy stamped into the stock. I left it on there and just think of it as the rifles name

That's a trend in my family, too. My son is going to inherit a bunch of tools with y grandfather's initials on them. Guess I should have named him after my grandfather.

Then again, I don't think any of my grandfather's guns have any names or initials on them.

 

[Appalachiannative]

That's a trend in my family, too. My son is going to inherit a bunch of tools with y grandfather's initials on them. Guess I should have named him after my grandfather.

Then again, I don't think any of my grandfather's guns have any names or initials on them.

Yea I really don't like customization. The ol man's nasty habit is supported by the inexpensive personal engraving tools at harbor freight. For Christmas he gave all his grand kids flashlights which he had personally put their first names on. He's got his name, the name of the guy he bought it from, and the day the purchase was made on one of his 9mm. All on the underside of the slide

 

[citizenconn]

A gunsmith friend of mine had his carry pistol engraved with a message and his name and phone number after it was stolen from his gun shop and returned after he found who did it: This gun stolen from Mike Smith, 123-456-7890.