gun trading private sales

[pharris]

Wondering how one determines if a gun that was not purchased from a dealer has been stolen. I have bought or traded for several guns over the years and have never had one checked, I have a few that I carry from time to time and don't want any problems to arise. Is there any option other than taking them to the local police Dept. to have them checked? Has anyone here ever traded into a hot gun? I haven't had any problems just don't want to have any.
thanks

 

[jackvs1]

I wonder the same thing. In VA we can do FTF without criminal records check but when shipped in from out of state a criminal records check is run. That is when they should run through NCIC but your question is solid.

 

[625-10scc]

Local police will run a NCIC check to determine if its stolen

 

[DWalt]

Local police will run a NCIC check to determine if its stolen

Some may, some may not. If it comes back as stolen, you can expect it will be confiscated.

 

[MrSurly]

If I own a gun that has been reported stolen (I can't be 100% that I don't) there are only three options
1.) ignorance (buy/trade take your chances, COULD lead to #3)
2.) have it checked, lose the gun (money)
3.) have it discovered by a third party, go to jail.

Option 2.) actually sounds appealing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JP@AK]

Local police will run a NCIC check to determine if its stolen

Just my opinion, but in most cases, you are better off dealing with the County Sheriff's office, at least in most states.

 

[cndrdk]

Do local gun shops run a stolen gun check on each used weapon they get in? I don't think so, or most I have been acquainted with do not. However, I believe most pawn shop weapons are checked for stolen.

 

[Road Rat]

Okay, so what you want to be able to check to see if any of the guns you have bought over the years were stolen??

And, you want to check any future guns to be sure they are not stolen before you buy them?

Hmm, sounds like what you need is a National Firearms Database with all firearms ownership records in it. And, it would be updated with every transfer of every gun....

Be very careful what you wish for!

 

[moralem]

There comes a point in any purchase from a privateer that you have to go with your own assessment of the seller, the situation and the gun. I buy most of my guns on the used market and we have no restrictions in Texas regarding the swap or sell from private hands. I have felt good about all of my deals. You ask some basic questions and you make or break the deal.

 

[hardknocks]

Hi all
In florida go to fdle website an you can enter serial number to search a reported gun.
Don't know if it only covers florida but it's better than nothing.
Haven't checked if other states offer this.
You could always have the serial number checked before you buy from private person at the local law enforcement.
I'm pretty sure all FFL dealers have to run a check before they sell a used firearm.

 

[italiansport]

Quote:
"Hmm, sounds like what you need is a National Firearms Database with all firearms ownership records in it. And, it would be updated with every transfer of every gun"

I don't think that's what most members here want to see. My understanding is that when guns are reported stolen they go into a database that's accessible by the police. I for one would like to see this made into a public databae so we could check any weapons in our possession.
Jim

 

[DWalt]

If the theft of a gun (or anything else) is reported, and if the party whose gun (or whatever) is reported stolen knows the SN, it goes into the national database. Therefore, there are probably many stolen guns which are not on any stolen property database. And of course, anything stolen before the computer age, say pre-1980s, would probably not be there either.

I believe access to the stolen property database is restricted to law enforcement agencies, but I think I have seen references about private individuals being able to run a SN to see if something was on the stolen list for a fee. I don't know how that works.

 

[zzzippper]

It strikes me as a question you don't want answered.

Aren't NCICs checks only run on the buyer? They want to know if he is a criminal, not if the gun is.

 

[pharris]

I recently found a Ruger sp101, I had a Leo friend run the numbers for me and it came back stolen. He was a little upset because he was supposed to have the gun in hand to check it and it took me a few days to get it to him.
And as far as being aware of who you are buying from if you are buying a 50 yr old s&w and your best friend has only had it for 2 yrs there are still 48 yrs to account for.
Thanks for the responses
ph

 

[kenv1950]

Any gun I've had checked by Sheriff I strip it to the bare frame and just take the frame in, that way if it comes back dirty I can recoup my money by selling the parts, so far I've never had a dirty gun

 

[Muss Muggins]

Any gun I've had checked by Sheriff I strip it to the bare frame and just take the frame in, that way if it comes back dirty I can recoup my money by selling the parts, so far I've never had a dirty gun

You would sell property you know to be stolen?

 

[Beemerguy53]

Here in the Peoples' Republic of Maryland, all legal handgun transfers, private or from a dealer, are subject to a seven-day waiting period and a background check by the Maryland State Police. The background check is not just for the purchaser; the firearm information -- make, serial number, model number, caliber, barrel length, and finish -- must also be submitted, so a stolen gun, in theory, would be identified during that process.

Of course, the drug dealers in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, who commit almost 75% of the murders in our entire state, still transfer guns the old fashioned way...

 

[Beemerguy53]

Any gun I've had checked by Sheriff I strip it to the bare frame and just take the frame in, that way if it comes back dirty I can recoup my money by selling the parts, so far I've never had a dirty gun

Frankly, friend, I'm amazed that you posted this.

Any gun that is stolen still legally belongs to the rightful owner who had possession of it before it was stolen. Not just the bare frame, but the entire gun.

If you buy a gun that turns out to have been stolen, it doesn't belong to you, it never belonged to you, no part of it belongs to you, and it is you, not the rightful owner, who has to take the loss.

 

[Absalom]

It strikes me as a question you don't want answered.
Aren't NCICs checks only run on the buyer? They want to know if he is a criminal, not if the gun is.

You're confusing two things; actually, lots of people do. The criminal background check required on a buyer by many states is quite different from running a firearm through the stolen property database of the NCIC, although in many states, like here in Oregon, the gun is automatically also run when a dealer calls in a transaction.
But you can run guns without a name. Here in Oregon, there is an 800-number where private citizen can call the State Police Firearms Unit and request a stolen gun check free of charge. I don't know what your obligations as a citizen would be if a gun came back as stolen, other than not buying it.

 

[Absalom]

Another thing you all might want to consider when buying a used gun without finding a way to run it is this:
Are you sure you love that gun so much you'll never sell or trade it again? Otherwise, you may be buying yourself a problem down the road. I've never known a dealer who doesn't run a gun before buying it, and the older the gun you acquire, the greater the chance that there's something in its past that might come back to bite you, no matter how much you trust the last person that owned it before you.
I've had occasion to recount the story in this forum before, but a gun purchase of mine got hung up about a year ago on a theft report from 1967; that's 46 years ago! Turned out that in the decades before the gun had been traded within the same state among a network of good old boys who all knew each other and no one bothered to run the gun; the last owner put it on GB, resulting in an out-of-state sale and an NCIC check, and bingo.

 

[kenv1950]

You would sell property you know to be stolen?

I guess after your post it's not the right thing to do so i'll change my way of thinking After thinking about it your 100% right

 

[Alpo]

Hi all
In florida go to fdle website an you can enter serial number to search a reported gun.
Don't know if it only covers florida but it's better than nothing.
Haven't checked if other states offer this.
You could always have the serial number checked before you buy from private person at the local law enforcement.
I'm pretty sure all FFL dealers have to run a check before they sell a used firearm.

I just went there and looked.

Tried two guns of mine. One stolen in Virginia. Not in the system, but it says FLORIDA RECORDS ONLY, and goes on to say, >This site contains records from Florida law enforcement agencies that have been selected for public access by those agencies. Other records may exist that have not been selected for public access.< I guess that means they don't list ALL of their records. So what's the point?

The second gun I checked was stolen in Florida. Also not in the system.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I never worried about getting in trouble. Obviously if I thought someone was sketchy or the gun was stolen, I would not buy it. Thus if for some reason I was found into being in possession of stolen property....well most laws on the subject require that you have to know it was stolen before you can be punished for it. Unless a gun is factory new, and perhaps not even then, I can not known where it has been. For all I know there is a mass grave of British soldiers from the Boer war waiting to be discovered, a bullet in the skull of each that would match my old 91 Mauser.

 

[gunnails]

A simple and brief dated bill of sale would go a long way if you are ever found to be in posesion of stolen goods.

 

[da gimp]

Back when we were steadily building our collection, from day one, we got a signed, dated, legible written bill of sale with the Missouri Driver's License number of the seller. This was for long gun or handgun , an antique or modern. Manufacturer's name, model name or number if applicable, action type, serial #, caliber & finish. Only had one came back, a family argument after a divorce....... the wife had bought her husband a Ruger bull barrel .22LR pistol, he sold/gave it to his uncle.. they got divorced shortly thereafter....... since the pistol was purchased by her & registered in her name... she got it in the divorce & declared it stolen... the dealer we had traded for it through refunded our money & the seller refunded his to him. It would be very silly to purchase any firearm, power tool, mower, snow blower etc without a good bill of sale. our sheriff's dept. will run any of them through the NCIC.......... but if they come up hot, expect to see a deputy in your driveway, looking to immediately confiscate the stolen merchandise & get your bill of sale.......etc.

 

[da gimp]

Any gun I've had checked by Sheriff I strip it to the bare frame and just take the frame in, that way if it comes back dirty I can recoup my money by selling the parts, so far I've never had a dirty gun

The other main problem with selling stolen firearms parts is this..... most of them have been used in violent felonies... and if you sell parts off them that can be shown to have been used in a violent felony or any felony... you will be charged as an accessory after the fact & also for intentionally destroying evidence..........

golly sure makes you glad you sold those parts for $50.00-100.00 & lose your house, vehicles, wife, custody of your kids & will probably be fired from any good job too.............because you'll have to raise serious money to be paid in advance for legal fees & bail money................


But heck it's your life, but some new deputies & police officers I know will dam sure give you a nice place to live.......... Now do you see why we tell you to give the deputy the entire weapon & be very helpful to them in tracing who you bought it from.....including bill of sale, description of seller, make & license # of their car etc.............

 

[hangnoose]

USED GUNS

I've thought about and mentioned the same thing here before. I go by the letter of the law, NO MORE, NO LESS. Volunteering to do more isn't going to make anything better for you. All risk and no gain. You did exactly what you were supposed to by your local laws, it aint your problem. Obviously if a "gangbanger" shows up, you have the option of not buying/selling. If the state & local Leos aren't concerned, why should you be. It would be near impossible to trace ALL possible owners in a state where no records are kept. Ward Cleaver buys a brand new handgun, the Beaver takes it without Dads knowledge and robs his weed dealer Eddie Haskall with it. Eddie doesn't report the crime, the Beaver returns the gun to where he found it, Ward is clueless. The Beaver turns up with a Columbian necktie a few days later. Gee whiz Dad says Wally, I have no idea what the little dope was up to. Tell a potential buyer/seller here in FL that you want to run an independent background check on him and the gun (when neither is required by law), and see how fast that deal goes bye bye, no matter how clean the buyer/seller may have been.

 

[Absalom]

A simple and brief dated bill of sale would go a long way if you are ever found to be in posesion of stolen goods.

I'm not even worried so much about any legal trouble, it's just a huge headache. Like the guy who shipped me the gun with the theft report: He got a visit from local law enforcement, multiple phone calls from our local officer who investigated it here, he had to collect the info on who had the gun before he acquired it, some sharp e-mail exchanges with me regarding due diligence, and ultimately the gun was cleared since features didn't match (This was an earlier S&W .38 with plain numerical serial number which fits on several guns of different models).
Nobody was alleging any misdeed, it was just a colossal pain in the patootie. Obviously, since this went cross-country, I wasn't going to send the gun back, but if this had popped up at a gun show or face-to-face sale, I would have just walked away from it, and he would have lost the sale. I don't want something like that happening to me when I sell one of my guns.

 

[Fishinfool]

I've thought about and mentioned the same thing here before. I go by the letter of the law, NO MORE, NO LESS. Volunteering to do more isn't going to make anything better for you. All risk and no gain. You did exactly what you were supposed to by your local laws, it aint your problem. Obviously if a "gangbanger" shows up, you have the option of not buying/selling. If the state & local Leos aren't concerned, why should you be. It would be near impossible to trace ALL possible owners in a state where no records are kept. Ward Cleaver buys a brand new handgun, the Beaver takes it without Dads knowledge and robs his weed dealer Eddie Haskall with it. Eddie doesn't report the crime, the Beaver returns the gun to where he found it, Ward is clueless. The Beaver turns up with a Columbian necktie a few days later. Gee whiz Dad says Wally, I have no idea what the little dope was up to. Tell a potential buyer/seller here in FL that you want to run an independent background check on him and the gun (when neither is required by law), and see how fast that deal goes bye bye, no matter how clean the buyer/seller may have been.

Wow, I guess I'll never buy a gun from a guy named "Beaver"...

Actually, if you are concerned a gun may be stolen, the time to run the # with your local police / sheriff is before you complete the purchase. Any seller that balks at letting you do a stolen check, or at least provide a written bill of sale - walk away from.

Larry

 

[Salty RI]

A friend of mine bought a used gun from a private seller, he had the gun for several years, he found out it was stolen when he was going to take the gun out of the country, he had a bill of sale, come to find out the guy he bought the gun from had sold several guns then reported them stolen, he wanted to collect from both ends.