Stolen firearms returned today!! Happy early birthday to me!!UPDATE

[growr]

Today Billings PD Evidence released to me 4 more of my stolen guns, that makes 13 recovered, 12 in the wind. Included was a back pack with many of my magazines, grips and ammo.

Some of the magazines go to guns that are still out there and are unique.

One of the returned was my beloved 3913!!! Yay!!

Several are still waiting trial and one needs to go to the BATF for its re-serialization program as the idiots tried to file off the SN.

Randy

 

[PauldL]

Oh, Randy........thats wonderful & terribly sad at the same time!
I reckon best thing to do is stay positive like you are.
Oh man, I hope that they can recover all of them for you.

 

[growr]

Forgot to mention that all 6 of my original M41 magazines were in the backpack!!

The M41 and magazines are now back together!!


Randy

 

[charlie sherrill]

One of my favorite things to do while I was still an active LEO was to hunt down and recover stolen firearms. Over a 40+ year career I recovered well over 1,000 guns and got most of them back to the original owners. Some of the guns I found had been stolen for over 20 years and I was still able to get most of those back to the owners. The hardest to recover was the hunting guns. I had one thief tell me when he had stolen hunting guns he would look for guys driving 4WD trucks and sell them cheap. The hand guns mostly went to the druggies and many of them turned up in other crimes later on. One of the easiest cases I had involved a victim who had over 35 guns stolen. The thug would throw the guns on a bed and wrap them up in sheets or other bed clothes and take them outside in bulk. I had arrested a punk with the same MO a few years earlier. I found out he had just been released and got his address from his parole officer. As I pulled up to his trailer he was unloading the freshly stolen guns. He served ten years and has recently been released again. I called an investigator I used to work with and told him this story. He's watching him.

 

[Sgt hump]

Congratulations, hope the rest show up soon.Just keep the faith they will.

 

[growr]

Interestingly enough most of the recoveries are from traffic violations and accidents, only is part of a drug raid that I know of.

Randy

 

[Nick B]

How were so many guns stolen ? We’re they in a safe ?

 

[growr]

stolen

They were in a locked cabinet in my garage. Home was broken into.

Randy

 

[growr]

BPD just called and released yet another firearm this afternoon....Ruger MK 2 Government model .22 target pistol!!

What a DAY this has been!!!!!

Randy

 

[ajgunner]

They were in a locked cabinet in my garage. Home was broken into.

Randy

How long ago was the break in, and how long before you had the first one back?

 

[Bald1]

How long ago was the break in, and how long before you had the first one back?

And how long till u get a safe and bolt it the floor.

 

[pawncop]

I can second Charlie Sherill’s comments regarding the feeling whenever I was able to return property to the rightful owner.

While working the pawn shop detail, I located a number of stolen firearms (along with other items).

The oldest one recovered was in 2005 or 2006. The handgun was reported stolen in 1975 ( guns stay in NCIC forever) by the Topeka Kansas PD. When I called the detective and told him of the recovery, I could almost hear him groan when I mentioned the date. Anyway, provided the details and he was to call me back.

The revolver was a S&W model 15, 4 inch, with a gold plated trigger, hammer, ejector rod, and cylinder release.

A couple of days later the detective called back, had located the victim and she wanted her gun back.

He sent me the offense report, I did a recovered property report, obtained a seizure order and sent the gun back to Topeka.

In working the pawnshop detail, I had a number of adventures that often resulted in returning property. I had a ball.

 

[Llance]

Thief and time

Is it normal for a stolen firearm thief to do time for the crime or is it a write off and traded away in plea bargain?

 

[Rudi]

I so hate criminals!

 

[geddylee10002000]

Way to go Randy. What a day(s)!

 

[bigjohn4]

Congrats, I'm in the same boat! I've had 4 recovered so far, hoping to hear from an agency this year as I've been getting about 1 every year. All have been handguns so far, don't see gas station robberies with bolt action rifles.
Hope they find the rest of yours!

 

[Engineer1911]

Great news Randy, Congratulations! We will see you in a couple of
weeks.

 

[Retired W4]

I hope they keep coming. I've had three stolen off my table. Two returned so far. The other is a lost cause, with no SN to report. I could not even make an insurance claim. Keep up your firearm inventory, with description and SN.

 

[wellthought1]

Glad you're getting your guns back.

 

[shovelmike]

Good

I am glad you're getting your guns back, hopefully the rest will be back home soon.