Ways to check if a gun is listed as stolen?

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j a

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This is not a cop bashing thread. Just looking for information.
I bought a gun listed on A-list in a nearby city from a private party. All legal in my state. I got a bill of sale and personal info from the seller.
Wanting to be sure it was not stolen I went to the local LE center and asked them to check the serial number. And offered to pay for the service.
The gun was unloaded and legally secured in my vehicle. And I have a CCW permit.
They did finally run the check for me and it was not reported as stolen. But it was a very unpleasant experience. One that I will not do again.
I will not go into details about the department or my treatment but left there with a little less respect for the local LE than I had before.
Is there any other way to have a gun checked to see if it is listed as stolen besides the local LE? Would an FFL be able to run this check? JA
 
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It can vary from state to state, but in the majority of them, I believe only Law Enforcement has the ability to access the stolen gun data base.

As far as I know, only states with very strict gun laws allow FFL's access to that database (NCIC)
 
One of the local dealers I use here in town (san antonio tx) will run a check on the sn of any firearm someone is looking to purchase for 10 bucks. He has a sign hanging in the store for it. He is an SAPD officer as his day job and runs the little place with his wife. You give um the sn to firearm and they will advise if clear or not. Easy smeezy.
 
Very true Trooperdan

Unless purchased from an FFl there is always a chance it could be stolen. Even when buying from friends and family anything is possible.
AirForceShooter, I did not really suspect it to be stolen just trying to cover my butt. The gun in question was listed on line with the serial number visible in the ad. And the seller willingly gave me a bill of sale and let me see his ID. Probably not the actions of someone trying to sell a stolen gun.
It was a very nice model 19 at a price that I was willing to take the risk on. And yes it shoots great! :D
 
You might try HotGunz Stolen Gun Search. It was passed on to me by a friend and I haven't used it yet so, I can't give a recommendation for it.
If you use it, let us know how you liked it.
 
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j a said:
This is not a cop bashing thread. Just looking for information.
I bought a gun listed on A-list in a nearby city from a private party. All legal in my state. I got a bill of sale and personal info from the seller.
Wanting to be sure it was not stolen I went to the local LE center and asked them to check the serial number. And offered to pay for the service.
The gun was unloaded and legally secured in my vehicle. And I have a CCW permit.
They did finally run the check for me and it was not reported as stolen. But it was a very unpleasant experience. One that I will not do again.
I will not go into details about the department or my treatment but left there with a little less respect for the local LE than I had before.
Is there any other way to have a gun checked to see if it is listed as stolen besides the local LE? Would an FFL be able to run this check? JA
Click to expand...

If I were you I try another county or city. It is up to the department whether or not they want to be nice. I had one checked with the local county and one with a neighbor county and didn't have any problems with either. There is another neighbor county that I doubt would even check for someone and if they did they would make it as difficult as possible. Larry
 
I used to have a cop friend check for me. But later it got hard to impossible. I was told they have to have a pretty good reason to explain their getting on the computer etc. Probley many department policys are different depending on size and politics.
 
gdnagle said:
I haven't used them but you can give them a try. Just because it doesn't show up today doesn't mean it wasn't just stolen and not reported yet. This is one of the problems with a used firearm you never know.

exactly, or what if people don't know the serial number?
Click to expand...
 
My recollection is that such a use of the NCIC database is not allowed by the relevant statutes and agreements, and I know that using the state analog here is likewise prohibited. We dealt with this issue a few times in legal advisors' group meetings when I was SO legal advisor some years back. I urge the mods to bit bucket this string.
 
There are more stolen guns circulating around that were never reported as stolen because the owner of the gun has no idea what the make, model, or serial number is. "I don't know" as a serial number doesn't make it into the database.
 
I lost a nice Colt Huntsman .22 in 1962 in a residential burglary in a Chicago suburb. (Hillary's home town) I believe it is likely residing somewhere and whoever has it has no idea of it's "stolen history". I would be surprised if a lot of folks with a collection of more than a few guns, particularly older guns, don't have something reported stolen in their collection and don't know it. The stolen gun list should be available to everyone, not just law enforcement.
 
Just so you know... if it is stolen the police will confiscate it from you. It would then be up to you to recoup your money from whoever sold it to you.
 
Go pawn it. :D
All pawn shops have to report what they take in.

FFL dealers in most areas do not have to report used guns they take in.
Soooooooo, there is always a possibility an FFL dealer could have a stolen gun. An FFL usually has no way to check.
 
When I lived in Maryland, I sold a gun to a friend of mine. MD. requires a background check. The local dealers all wanted $25.00 or more plus the police fees to do it. You can also get the State Police to do it, without paying a dealer. My friend lived near a police barracks, so we went there on a Saturday afternoon. Walked in, asked about the procedure. Nice policeman said bring the gun in, be sure it was unloaded and in a bag or case, and he would handle it. Walked out to the car, got the pistol went back in and gave it to the nice policeman. He told us to sit down and he would be right back. He took the gun into a back room and was gone a long time. We asked at the counter were he was and were told to sit down and wait. He finally came back with the gun and the papers we needed to fill out. I asked what had taken so long? He said he was checking to see if it was stolen. I asked what he would do if it was? He said "I would arrest you, lock you up, you would spend the weekend in jail, and appear before a Judge on Monday". I have never been arrested and was not happy with that turn of events. I had gotten that gun from a gun show, at least 25 years before that. I had a hand written receipt, but no idea if the guy I got it from was still around. I later asked a dealer about this and he said that was why it was a good reason to use a dealer. Point of all this is, I would never ask a nice policeman to check the serial # on anything, ever again. Unless I had the owner with me so he could get arrested, not me. Also found out the MD. state police would not accept cash, which was all we had. Had to go get a money order. That is why I moved to VA. To get away from the MD. gun laws. I tell everyone I am a political refugee.
 
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