Your armed and in a vehicle collison

[Richard Simmons]

What happens to your firearm?



On Monday my wife and daughter were hit from behind will traveling through downtown on their way out of state on a business trip.

As usual my wife had her Keltec P32 in her purse. They were at a stop when a Grand Cherokee hit them at approx. 30 miles an hour. Woman was on the phone and didn't even realize my wife and the two cars in front of her were stopped for a pedestrian.

My daughter called me at home and told me what had happened and I headed downtown. When I arrived my wife had already been transported to the hospital by ammbulance.

My daughter was still on the scene with police who had my wifes gun. Due to the trunk being unsecured (business equipment and luggage)my daughter refused transport until I got there.

When I arrived an officer asked me for my permit and then handed me my wifes fully loaded firearm. Thought I'd add that the officer was very courteous and according to my family quite compassionate as well from the moment he arrived at the scene.

During the drive down I contacted family who arrived and took over the task of getting the car secured and back to the house while I tranported my daughter to the ER.

Both were released some hours later and I brought them home. They are pretty sore but appear to me mending nicely. The car, (Acura RL) will be getting $5,000 in TLC courtesy of the other driver.

Though my wife and I carry daily and have for about 18 months neither of us had given any thought to what we would/could/should do in such a situation as this.

I presume that if both my wife and daughter had been transported and or I was unreachable (my daughter is over the age of 21 but she does not have a permit) they would have taken the firearm into custody, so to speak for safekeeping.

What I would have had to do to retrieve it I don't know?


I'm just glad that they both look to be doing well and that it was not much, much worse but now that things have settled down it just got me to wondering.

Opinons, thoughts?

 

[Richard Simmons]

What happens to your firearm?



On Monday my wife and daughter were hit from behind will traveling through downtown on their way out of state on a business trip.

As usual my wife had her Keltec P32 in her purse. They were at a stop when a Grand Cherokee hit them at approx. 30 miles an hour. Woman was on the phone and didn't even realize my wife and the two cars in front of her were stopped for a pedestrian.

My daughter called me at home and told me what had happened and I headed downtown. When I arrived my wife had already been transported to the hospital by ammbulance.

My daughter was still on the scene with police who had my wifes gun. Due to the trunk being unsecured (business equipment and luggage)my daughter refused transport until I got there.

When I arrived an officer asked me for my permit and then handed me my wifes fully loaded firearm. Thought I'd add that the officer was very courteous and according to my family quite compassionate as well from the moment he arrived at the scene.

During the drive down I contacted family who arrived and took over the task of getting the car secured and back to the house while I tranported my daughter to the ER.

Both were released some hours later and I brought them home. They are pretty sore but appear to me mending nicely. The car, (Acura RL) will be getting $5,000 in TLC courtesy of the other driver.

Though my wife and I carry daily and have for about 18 months neither of us had given any thought to what we would/could/should do in such a situation as this.

I presume that if both my wife and daughter had been transported and or I was unreachable (my daughter is over the age of 21 but she does not have a permit) they would have taken the firearm into custody, so to speak for safekeeping.

What I would have had to do to retrieve it I don't know?


I'm just glad that they both look to be doing well and that it was not much, much worse but now that things have settled down it just got me to wondering.

Opinons, thoughts?

 

[Wyatt Earp]

I imagine that you would ask for your wife's gun back and the police would have to give it to you provided you give them reasonable proof that you are who you say you are and live where you say you live.

If the police offered any more resistance than that (show proof of ownership, etc.) I would go above the cops running the property room all the way to the top if needed.

In any case, I would lawyer up at their first refusal or their first attempt to impose any more conditions that just proof of ID.

 

[ispcapt]

Not at all an unusual situation. For my agency it happens quite frequently each week. It's personal property treated like a purse, briefcase, or anything else of value. We inventory the vehicle, take custody of all valuable property and then turn it over to the immediate family.

 

[Bobwtn]

In TN, the local police (city ones), will sometimes take it and tag into the evidence/property room. I have heard it is difficult to get them unless you have the ser. number and they do a background check. Lot of mess. I often carry something small and of least value in my console. My city and the good parts I frequent are safe, so on me, I may not have more than a 32 auto, but I may have an old 38 in the car.

 

[ispcapt]

The biggest mess returning guns that I was involved in was a fatal crash, driver only, who had 19 guns in his car and was from out of state. None of the guns were high value pieces. All pretty routine stuff. He had no immediate family. His nephew, who was from out of state, took care of getting the body but he didn't want anything to do with the guns. It took quite a bit of calling to extended family to find who was going to handle the guy's estate since he didn't leave a will. Even then we had to hang on to the guns until they finally got the estate settled. It took many months.

 

[Aegis]

I am a LEO in California and have encountered a gun in a vehicle that was involved in a crash. In this case it was a single car crash into a light pole. Driver was the only one involved,no passengers,and was transported to the hospital. I was towing the car from the sidewalk and had to inventory the contents of the car. I found a loaded ruger P99 as I recall, a 9mm. Personally I believe thay citizens should be able to carry in Calif, but this state is one of the worst in the nation,as NY and Mass are also..For about 20-30 min I considered returning the gun to him or someone who could take control of the weapon. I found my answer as I continued to inventory and found marijuana in the car also. Also in the hospital he made no mention of the gun or marijuana. I asked him are you sure you don't have anthing to tell me...Anyway to make a long story short he was charged with carrying a weapon in a veh under his control,he was from Chicago here in Ca on business for the last 8-10 months. Court ruled he was a Ca resident and convicted of a felony, not registering a weapon in Ca. I doubt he ever got the gun back. For me the deciding factor was the weed with a gun. I would also add I wish Ca was a shall isue state and let all qualified citizens carry guns. I bet our crime rate would go down. Make my job easier.

 

[APS]

Richard, glad your family came out of this OK. Their necks will probably be real sore starting tomorrow but some good painkillers will help there.

This might be a good time for those who carry off-body while in a car to think about what will happen to your firearm if you are hit. Stuff in a car tends to fly around and come out of glove compartments, center consoles, etc. If you caused the accident, the victim might be coming for you. If you are the victim, ramming you might be the first part of an attack.

I remember when the new victorinox rescue tool came out (it's a tool to help cut you out of a seatbelt, break the side window, etc) one poster was proud that he clipped it to his visor. Hmmm, is it still going to be there after even a minor hit? Nope.

 

[biggs357]

may i pose a question,what do they do if the firearm is found on the person.

 

[Wyatt Earp]

Originally posted by biggs357:
may i pose a question,what do they do if the firearm is found on the person.

If you are conscious the police will tell you he is taking it along with the rest of your property. If you are not, they will take it and you or your next of kin will be notified later.

 

[The Big D]

A gun(s) is no different that any other item of property presuming it's lawfully possessed. It would be treated no differently than...say...a Rolex watch. Inventoried if the owner couldn't take possession and then released to the owner when he/she requested.

Be safe.

 

[bored350]

Though there is not mention of it, I would like to know how the police came into possession of the firearm if it was in your wife's purse? Since your daughter was at the scene and refused to leave due to the property involved, I have to ask; did the police go through your wife's purse and discover the firearm as a result?

Glad they will both be ok.

bored350

 

[Richard Simmons]

Originally posted by bored350:
Though there is not mention of it, I would like to know how the police came into possession of the firearm if it was in your wife's purse? Since your daughter was at the scene and refused to leave due to the property involved, I have to ask; did the police go through your wife's purse and discover the firearm as a result?

Glad they will both be ok.

bored350

When they were loading my wife into the ambulance she told the officer she had a firearm but could not recall where it was, (she was very disorientated at the time).

My daughter called me and I told her where it was, she got it and then gave it to the officer.

 

[Quiyst]

This happened to my friend in Northern Virginia. He had to be transported to the hospital, but he was fine to talk to the officer on scene. The officer was happy to take his gun for him. He gave him his card in exchange and made sure he knew where the station was (about 1/4 of a mile away, oddly). When my friend we t to retrieve it, the officer had wrapped it nicely in a box and had it in his desk. No problem whatsoever.

 

[Chipmunk6]

<span class="ev_code_BLUE">Howdy ol' friend,
I hope your wife and daughter are
doing ok.

Chipmunk6</span>

 

[Richard Simmons]

Originally posted by Chipmunk6:
<span class="ev_code_BLUE">Howdy ol' friend,
I hope your wife and daughter are
doing ok.

Chipmunk6</span>

Howdy to you too. Long time no see. Welcome to the board.

 

[RobO]

When my wife rolled my Ford Ranger, I told the NYS Trooper onscene that my Glock was in the truck. She got the attention of the volunteer firemen, asked them to make room for her, and she recovered it and gave it to me.

 

[f150guy]

Richard Simmons
The Rl is a great vehicle, and you'd be surprised how seldom they are involved in accidents. I rarely see body orders for them here at the dealership. (If you ever need parts, I will give yu my employee discount)

As for the firearm question, I asked my wife, the paramedic/supervisor what they do. They secure it in a locked cabinet in the rig until the police show up. After that, the police take posession and it is usually given to a family member, unloaded, at the hospital. Not every injury/illness/ EMS call involves the police, so the majority of the paramedics, and the supervisors are taught how to unload a firearm responsibly.

 

[kennyb]

as a retired LEO here in va.i had occasion to recover a number of firearms as stated here....rule of thumb as long as its carried in a lawful manner its treated like any other property...its listed on an inventory sheet which is provided to the driver...the hospital is not going to want the firearm brought in there...so it would likely go to the property room where the owner can pick it up....
glad to hear all are ok from the accident

 

[armadillo66]

When I dropped my Buell, I had my 229 in a kydex holster, and sliding on it saved my hip road rash. The first firetruck to arrive, I asked the firemen if any of them was a NRA member and two said , Hell Yeah, I asked them to secure my 229, later at the ER, my wife got handed my empty magazines, a handful of 40 cal rounds and my gun with a ziptie through the locked open action.