Friend retrieved stolen gun 3 years later

dakota.potts · June 14, 2013, 01:27 AM

My Facebook friend messaged me this story earlier.

When he was 18, he was moving out of his parent's house. He had his AK in his car when he stopped by a friend's house for a few hours. It was stolen.

Our local Sheriff's Office contacted him yesterday and told him they had received his gun. He went to pick it up this morning. Apparently the guy who stole it dumped it in the woods not far from there. Another person happened along and found it. It had been sold twice and was on its way to a gun show in Ocala (about an hour to an hour and a half south) when somebody ran the serial numbers (there are registries where you can search these numbers). They found it was registered as stolen and contacted the police who returned it to him.

It was the first firearm he ever bought and he is happy to have it back. He said there was a little surface rust on it but he cleaned it up and had happened to order new AK furniture that is now going on this one.

Very nice that this story turned out this way and it reminded me I need to keep a good storage of the Serial number of my CZ

JimmyR · June 14, 2013, 01:45 AM

Glad he was able to recover his weapon. Also a good reason to keep weapons in vehicles out of sight and secured whether at home or in the car.

SamNavy · June 14, 2013, 02:31 PM

I guarantee you that if I ever find an AK lying on the ground in the woods, I'm going to call the police... not even going to touch it. I can't believe some genius sold it after he'd found it. Let's say that gun was a murder weapon and there's some dude out there walking free because the police had no case when they couldn't find the gun. Some things you find, I guess it's not so bad you hang onto, like maybe a pair of binoculars or a duck-call... but AN AK LYING IN ON THE GROUND IN THE WOODS??? What the hell is wrong with some people?

FrankenMauser · June 15, 2013, 12:06 AM

Quote:

I guarantee you that if I ever find an AK lying on the ground in the woods, I'm going to call the police... not even going to touch it. I can't believe some genius sold it after he'd found it.

Do you really believe they found it lying on the ground in the woods?

dakota.potts · June 15, 2013, 01:17 AM

Well, that's the official story with no subtext added

But I had the same though

**4V50 Gary** · June 15, 2013, 06:15 PM

Lucky him. Thankfully the stolen firearms database is forever.

2ndsojourn · June 15, 2013, 09:28 PM

I'm glad he got it back too, but some of the circumstances seem fishy. If he was from here in NJ, he'd never see it again.

Colokeb · June 18, 2013, 08:06 PM

I had 7 of nine burgled guns found in a woods at 17 months and some of them at 27 months after the theft. I repaired all but one.

Rifleman1776 · June 19, 2013, 08:30 AM

I had a .38 special two incher stolen by a county deputy about 15 years ago. Seems he was planning on leaving the area, dissapeared the next day. Really, I want him to get caught more than I want the gun back but wouldn't mind tracing it. Can that stolen gun database be accessed by anyone? I wrote complaints to everyone but the Girl Scouts when that gun was stolen. Never heard a thing. Not even from our Sheriff.

stumper1300 · June 19, 2013, 10:27 AM

I had a gun stolen in 97. This past fall I called the sherrif Dept to inquirer about it. They called me back and apoligised for not getting it entered into the data base. I wonder how many opportunities I had to get it back in that time.

arch308 · June 19, 2013, 11:34 AM

I keep a list of all my gun serial #s just in case. About 15 yrs ago I had a few weapons stolen. The only one to show up was my Gen2 G17. The Dallas Police found it in a drug raid about 4 yrs later. After the trial I was able to get it back.

wayneinFL · June 19, 2013, 04:12 PM

Quote:

I had a gun stolen in 97. This past fall I called the sherrif Dept to inquirer about it. They called me back and apoligised for not getting it entered into the data base. I wonder how many opportunities I had to get it back in that time.

I had one stolen in New Orleans last year. I wish there was a way to check that database.

SaxonPig · June 21, 2013, 10:38 PM

One of 23 guns stolen in a 1986 burglary, recovered by police 200 miles away in 2003. Missing for 17 years. Made a total of 3 recovered. The other two came back within the first year.

June 14, 2013, 01:27 AM	#1
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Friend retrieved stolen gun 3 years later My Facebook friend messaged me this story earlier. When he was 18, he was moving out of his parent's house. He had his AK in his car when he stopped by a friend's house for a few hours. It was stolen. Our local Sheriff's Office contacted him yesterday and told him they had received his gun. He went to pick it up this morning. Apparently the guy who stole it dumped it in the woods not far from there. Another person happened along and found it. It had been sold twice and was on its way to a gun show in Ocala (about an hour to an hour and a half south) when somebody ran the serial numbers (there are registries where you can search these numbers). They found it was registered as stolen and contacted the police who returned it to him. It was the first firearm he ever bought and he is happy to have it back. He said there was a little surface rust on it but he cleaned it up and had happened to order new AK furniture that is now going on this one. Very nice that this story turned out this way and it reminded me I need to keep a good storage of the Serial number of my CZ

June 15, 2013, 06:15 PM	#6
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,829	Lucky him. Thankfully the stolen firearms database is forever. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

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June 14, 2013, 01:45 AM	#2
JimmyR Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Posts: 1,273	Glad he was able to recover his weapon. Also a good reason to keep weapons in vehicles out of sight and secured whether at home or in the car.

June 14, 2013, 02:31 PM	#3
SamNavy Senior Member Join Date: August 28, 2011 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 433	I guarantee you that if I ever find an AK lying on the ground in the woods, I'm going to call the police... not even going to touch it. I can't believe some genius sold it after he'd found it. Let's say that gun was a murder weapon and there's some dude out there walking free because the police had no case when they couldn't find the gun. Some things you find, I guess it's not so bad you hang onto, like maybe a pair of binoculars or a duck-call... but AN AK LYING IN ON THE GROUND IN THE WOODS??? What the hell is wrong with some people?

June 15, 2013, 01:17 AM	#5
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Well, that's the official story with no subtext added But I had the same though

June 15, 2013, 09:28 PM	#7
2ndsojourn Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2013 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,416	I'm glad he got it back too, but some of the circumstances seem fishy. If he was from here in NJ, he'd never see it again.

June 18, 2013, 08:06 PM	#8
Colokeb Member Join Date: February 15, 2008 Location: west Posts: 86	I had 7 of nine burgled guns found in a woods at 17 months and some of them at 27 months after the theft. I repaired all but one.

June 19, 2013, 08:30 AM	#9
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	I had a .38 special two incher stolen by a county deputy about 15 years ago. Seems he was planning on leaving the area, dissapeared the next day. Really, I want him to get caught more than I want the gun back but wouldn't mind tracing it. Can that stolen gun database be accessed by anyone? I wrote complaints to everyone but the Girl Scouts when that gun was stolen. Never heard a thing. Not even from our Sheriff.

June 19, 2013, 10:27 AM	#10
stumper1300 Member Join Date: June 18, 2012 Posts: 55	I had a gun stolen in 97. This past fall I called the sherrif Dept to inquirer about it. They called me back and apoligised for not getting it entered into the data base. I wonder how many opportunities I had to get it back in that time.

June 19, 2013, 11:34 AM	#11
arch308 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 876	I keep a list of all my gun serial #s just in case. About 15 yrs ago I had a few weapons stolen. The only one to show up was my Gen2 G17. The Dallas Police found it in a drug raid about 4 yrs later. After the trial I was able to get it back.

June 21, 2013, 10:38 PM	#13
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	One of 23 guns stolen in a 1986 burglary, recovered by police 200 miles away in 2003. Missing for 17 years. Made a total of 3 recovered. The other two came back within the first year.