This is information that most don't know.

A stolen firearm can remain in NCIC forever BUT, and this is a big but, the entry has to be re-validated (not re-entered) by the entering agency each year. The process is that the state crime information center sends a validation list to the entering agency. That agency is then supposed to contact the party who reported the theft and verify that the item is still missing/stolen. If the party cannot be contacted (telephone contact is the norm) then the item is deleted from NCIC. It's the responsibility of the reporting party to notify the agency of any change in their contact information.

Two things contribute to the low recovery rate of stolen firearms, one is that most people don't have their serial numbers. IME in maybe 20% of the stolen gun reports I took were the owners able to provide serial numbers. Second, if the gun ultimately winds up being purchased by an law abiding person in what they believe to be a legitimate transaction (like the people on this board) law enforcement will never have an occasion to check the serial number of the gun in their possession.

I'm truly surprised you haven't heard of this. It's oft repeated lore, from the days described by sig220. It's been brought up more than once, usually in the concealed carry/self defense forum regarding getting your prized CCW piece back with a big ole evidence number on it via electro pencil. It most certainly happened in the days of the single bubble light on a cruiser and using your six cell kel light as a night stick, but no more . . .

__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I had a friend who started a little pawn shop. He only dealt in
collectibles. He didn't do TVs, toasters and such. He had to make
the daily police report. Over the years he got stolen guns as well
as other items. Police take the gun as evidence. The perp had to
show ID and is usually not hard to track down. The gun is returned to rightful owner after case goes to court. The shop
has to take perp to court to recover his money. The last person
to have stolen gun in their possession looses. In the case of a
private citizen being caught with stolen gun in possession, it
can be a little different. You can be accused of knowingly buying
stolen property. It's smart to get a bill of sale when you buy a
gun off someone you don't know. If you buy a lot of guns you are
going to get a stolen one at some point. I got a record book that
I keep with serials, description, dates and purchase information.
This protects you and provides basis for insurance claims.

Smart vehicle thieves never break the driver's window. If they do they have to sit on broken glass

And even in those days I never scratched up guns that I took as evidence. I’d note the serial number for my report, put the gun in a box or bag, tape it up, and mark the box or bag appropriately.

I think cops did it the other way so at trial they could say: I know its the same gun because my initials are gouged into it.

I only had it come up once at trial, with a stainless Charter Arms Bulldog. The attorney asked how could I be sure it was the gun I took. I said: The gun is serial number 1234567, and my report and the evidence box have the same number. I’m not sure how my initials would help. And that was that.

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

I picked up an old HD that had what I presume to be a
case number etched on the frame below the cylinder latch....


I never electric pencil'd one that I logged into evidence...
just tagged it and placed a copy of my report in the bag with it.


.

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

In most cases State Farm will not pick up a recovered firearm. If a valuable firearm(s) is recovered State Farm will acquire the services of a FFL holder to do this. State Farm does not want a firearm in the office or company vehicle.

State Farm gave me a letter stating this and authorizing me to take possession of my Glock on their behalf, compensation to be determined.

If you lose a firearm check with your insurance carrier about their policy if the item is recovered.

An oxymoron.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

People use all kinds of excuses and myths to justify carrying a cheap gun. Maybe I have seen it mentioned and just don't remember it.

This is exactly my point. There's no need to put any more markings on a gun. Guns are readily identifiable through several means. I guess there are some on the police force who might not know about serial numbers, but I've never met one.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

Your sales slip should have the gun serial number on it. Report the gun to police being stolen immediately.

I am guessing your finding the gun anytime soon is slim to none. I am also guessing there wasn't any home theft insurance policy if they were just renting the place. It is amazing how often so called friends rip another friend off but it happens a lot.

You mean to say that we no longer have to engrave our SS numbers on the frame, barrel and cylinder if it has one??


Yes, I have seen it on more than one occasion!


One was a Colt Woodsman!

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

If a gun I acquire has an original box matched to it I always keep the box. And I use all of the begging return envelopes to keep all of the bills of sale and other paperwork for each gun. They are free and I just have to mark on the outside of the envelope what gun's paperwork is inside.

We had a burglary in 8/11; 3 guns, my wife's bike, the TV and a computer among other things were stolen. The bike was recovered 100 miles away in a few weeks; the computer over a year later about 300 miles away, and one of the guns 4 years later about 800 miles away. I am 3 years down the road from that recovery and still in the process of getting it back after the case there was resolved. (A pox on California.)

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

Just today I read in the local paper of the arrest of a couple of car burglars, in the house of one of them a couple of stolen handguns were recovered. I guess if they had been reported stolen to the authorities the owners would have a good chance of getting them back.
I do read fairly often about stolen guns in possession of an arrested person.
Good luck!

The most important thing is to report it stolen and have the serial number. A bill of sale helps, too. With that, it can be entered into NCIC and there is a slim chance of recovery.

I've recovered lots of guns that I knew were stolen, but they weren't in NCIC so they went to the big chipper.

Keep those serial numbers!

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

In Pa pawnshops do not sell guns unless they are I believe something like a hundred years old.

My guess they would try a gun show or shop. I believe Butler has a couple a year.

If you don't live in AZ, you have a chance. Scottsdale police will not even contact ATF even if 42 guns are stolen, & if you have a gun confiscated by Maricopa Co Sheriff's, they LOSE the gun in their possession BEFORE it gets back to you, ask me how I know that, better than that ask the ATF agent that tried to help me at a later time

A number of years ago, while on vacation our house was broken into and I lost 4 firearms, 2 shotguns, 1 rifle and a Colt Combat Commander. I furnished pictures and serial numbers of all the weapons to the Police. The insurance payed off about half of what they were worth but wasn't a lot I could do. Five years later, I was contacted by a Police Dept about 100 miles from here and they had recovered one of the shotguns during a raid on a drug house. I got the call that it would be returned after the trial. When I picked it up, they had written on the stock where it was recovered and the number of rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Two years later, another call from the local Detective that the 1911 had been recovered in Detroit during a foot chase of a felon. He tried to toss it away but they noticed and recovered it. It too had been marked but again it cleaned off easily. Up until 3 years ago, I would get a call once a year to inquire if I had gotten back either of the other two. I had not thought about the calls stopping until this thread so I guess that they are not longer actively tracking these last two which is disappointing.

In Pa if the gun is reported stolen and the insurance company pays for the loss it becomes their gun, if it is recovered.
Where I worked before retirement, we solved approx 14% of our burglaries, and we were better than the average. If it was entered in NCIC you never know if it will be recovered and how long that it will take. Good Luck!

What a sad statistic. This tells me the criminals have a 86% chance (maybe 90%) of getting away with it. I can see why there's so much crime.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

I have feedback on two of these scenarios.

First, I had a revolver stolen. Police called about a year or so later and said it had been recovered in a drug bust in about 40 miles from my home. Of course we know a local kid has a drug issue, so he probably traded it off to his dealer....I have been told that there may yet be federal charges in the case, and not to expect its return any time soon. It's almost three years now.

In another instance, years ago, Mrs was carrying and we were going to meet friends flying into town, back when you could go to the gate. Oops, handgun in purse, thru the security scan. A tense hour or so, but we left with nothing more than a citation. We dropped our friends off a week later and left a home made apple pie for the county police at the airport.....anyhow, that gun was returned to me some time later with a number etched on the barrel where it was visible thru the ejection port.

__________________
Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

About 20 years ago I had a 38 victory stolen along with a new metal
detector, drill, skill saw and some cash stolen. This happened mid day
while me wife an I were working. They kicked the back door.
Police were called and they advised installing an alarm system.
Next day I go to police dept. and a captain explains the reports that
are submitted a close of business each day. City pawn shops report
to city police and county shops to the sheriffs office.
So I read the reports and found all items less the 38 had been pawned
the same day stolen. Of course the pawn dealer would not show me
the items, back to the police station, the captain gets the guy
on the phone and gives him a choice. Show me the items or
his men would have to inventory his whole shop. He was glad
to show me my stuff when I got back to his pawn shop. My
opinion of him, he is a Crook.
The guy who stole my stuff had jumped bond out of Louisiana
and was a druggie. The police then arrested the guy and
his girl friend. He had sold the 38 to a fast food worker for
for $40.00. I had it loaded and they had fired it once.
I got it back and still have it.

Hay, does anybody know of a site to run your numbers to make sure they weren’t stolen in a past life?
Semper paratus

__________________
NRA Life Member
CPO

I used to work a lot of residential burglaries. One of the fun parts of my job was to run them down and get them back to the original owners. This was a challenge to me and I recovered a lot of them. The biggest problem I had was a lot of folks didn't have the serial numbers and often couldn't even tell you what kind of gun it was. I lived in the pawn shops back then and the good thing about that was I often found old Smith's and military stuff that I collect that wasn't stolen. I once recovered a gun that was stolen that was stolen 22 years before I found it. The victim still had the same phone number and lived in Louisiana. I called him and told him to come get his gun. It was a Ruger .22 revolver with two cylinders. He still had the other cylinder. The trash crew (inmates and a guard) once recovered a Smith model 59 on the side of the highway. It was loaded and cocked. My first thought was somebody had second thoughts about shooting the officer who stopped them and threw it out the window. I contacted the lady who owned the gun and she said she didn't want it back and for me to keep it. I got her to send me a notarized statement that she was giving it to me and she did. Her son had just gotten out of prison and she couldn't have a gun in the house. I didn't tell her he was probably the one who stole it in the first place. I have recovered many firearms years after they were stolen.

I arrested a guy who had stolen several hundred guns. We were able to recover a lot of the handguns, but none of the long guns. I asked what he did with the long guns and he told me he would go to a gas station and look for a guy driving a 4WD truck or wearing camo and they would ALWAYS buy the long gun. These are hard to find. I don't know of any game wardens who check serial numbers while working in the field, not around here anyway. Keep receipts, record serial numbers, and buy a good floor mounted safe. Never leave guns in a vehicle unless you have a good way to secure them.