Not a stolen gun report but happy ending

[Major Tom]

While at the local range (no other people around) I found a range bag. Inside were a change of clothes covering some 9mm ammo and a new 9mm pistol. At the range house I put up a sign saying I found a range bag, ID contents to claim. Later I got a phone call from a young man who correctly ID'd the contents and we met up. He was so happy to have his gun back explaining how distraught he had been. Offered me $50 which I refused.

[SMOKEY]

Way to go Major

[kcw]

While at the local range (no other people around) I found a range bag. Inside were a change of clothes covering some 9mm ammo and a new 9mm pistol. At the range house I put up a sign saying I found a range bag, ID contents to claim. Later I got a phone call from a young man who correctly ID'd the contents and we met up. He was so happy to have his gun back explaining how distraught he had been. Offered me $50 which I refused.

Sounds very similar to a situation I had a number of years ago when I was in charge of the rifle/pistol range at my club. An unusually warm weekend in March had brought a number of shooters out to the range. On Monday I went there to make certain that things were cleaned up, etc. On one of the tables I found a GI 98K in one of those cheap, "lockable", black plastic cases. I immediately took the gun under my control and put up a number of "FOUND" notices, both on the range and inside the clubhouse. Notice was made "for the record" at the monthly club meeting which happened to be held that week and mention was also placed in the quarterly club newsletter which went out to ALL members the following week. After about two weeks had passed without a response, I took the rifle down to the local PD and asked that they run a NICS check, or whatever they could do, on it. The detective took a description and serial number down and then proceeded to hand the gun back to me. I said, "Aren't you going to want to hold on to it?" He replied 'Why?". I said that if anyone calls me on it after all this time I'd just as soon as they picked it up from you. The officer grudgingly took it into his custody, but then EXACTLY 30 days he called me and said that they had no hits on it and I was to either pick it up or they would consider it abandoned, confiscate it and have it destroyed! During the time it was in police custody I'd taken out a "FOUND" ad in the local weekly paper, but had gotten no responses. Not wanting to see the rifle destroyed I picked it up from the police station. At that time I asked the detective "What now?" He replied, "By NY law the property is now legally yours". Apparently I'd completed all the steps required under state law to find the owner, so now the property was mine if I wanted it. Well OK then! With nearly two months having passed and no one having come looking for it, I was pretty well convinced that the rifle most likely belonged to a non-member who has sneaked onto the club property that weekend and, for what ever reason, had left his rifle there. Now he couldn't figure out how to get it back without admitting to trespass as our the club had well known reputation of prosecuting trespassers. I'd always wanted a 98K, and this was a VERY nice looking one, even if it was an "import". Unfortunately it turned out to be one of those Russian reworks. Although the bore looked very nice I soon found out that the first 1.5" forward of the chamber was burned out; it key holed BADLY @ 25 yds and was useless as a "shooter" so I threw it in the back of the gun safe. Flash forward almost a full year from when I first discovered the gun and I get a call from a member who'd just read a badly tattered "FOUND" notice that was still hanging onto one of the roof supports of club's outdoor shooting shelter. "Was the gun that I'd found last year possibly a GI 98K in a black plastic case?" Of course I confirmed what it was but then went after him as to why he hadn't responded to the posted notices at the club, the notice in the club news letter, the notice in the local "newspaper" (WHICH EVERYONE WITH A MAILBOX GETS FOR FREE) , or hadn't even bothered to call the local police to report the loss?! It turned that the guy has a C&R and took his then obtained rifle, along with a number of others to the range that warm March day, but had forgotten to take any 8mm ammo so he placed on an unoccupied shooting table. Just before dusk a winter storm front suddenly started blowing through so he quickly made a break for the parking lot and in his hurry had forgotten the 98k AND IN FACT NEVER REALIZED IT WAS MISSING UNTIL HE STARTED OUT FOR THE RANGE ON THE VERY DAY HE CALLED ME!!!!!!!! Of course I told him, that as the rifle had become legally mine, I'd very nearly had it converted to a 308 sporter with one of those $90 sporter barrels that Sportsman's Guide used to sell. However, in view of the fact that I'd had nothing more into it than the $15 for the newspaper ad and that it was useless as a shooter (BIG SURPRIZE to him!) he was welcomed to it. He came over to my house, thanked me for me efforts in trying to find out who owned it, handed me the $15 that I'd spent on the ad and took it home.

[kcw]

Sounds very similar to a situation I had a number of years ago when I was in charge of the rifle/pistol range at my club. An unusually warm weekend in March had brought a number of shooters out to the range. On Monday I went there to make certain that things were cleaned up, etc. On one of the tables I found a GI 98K in one of those cheap, "lockable", black plastic cases. I immediately took the gun under my control and put up a number of "FOUND" notices, both on the range and inside the clubhouse. Notice was made "for the record" at the monthly club meeting which happened to be held that week and mention was also placed in the quarterly club newsletter which went out to ALL members the following week. After about two weeks had passed without a response, I took the rifle down to the local PD and asked that they run a NICS check, or whatever they could do, on it. The detective took a description and serial number down and then proceeded to hand the gun back to me. I said, "Aren't you going to want to hold on to it?" He replied 'Why?". I said that if anyone calls me on it after all this time I'd just as soon as they picked it up from you. The officer grudgingly took it into his custody, but then EXACTLY 30 days he called me and said that they had no hits on it and I was to either pick it up or they would consider it abandoned, confiscate it and have it destroyed! During the time it was in police custody I'd taken out a "FOUND" ad in the local weekly paper, but had gotten no responses. Not wanting to see the rifle destroyed I picked it up from the police station. At that time I asked the detective "What now?" He replied, "By NY law the property is now legally yours". Apparently I'd completed all the steps required under state law to find the owner, so now the property was mine if I wanted it. Well OK then! With nearly two months having passed and no one having come looking for it, I was pretty well convinced that the rifle most likely belonged to a non-member who has sneaked onto the club property that weekend and, for what ever reason, had left his rifle there. Now he couldn't figure out how to get it back without admitting to trespass as our the club had well known reputation of prosecuting trespassers. I'd always wanted a 98K, and this was a VERY nice looking one, even if it was an "import". Unfortunately it turned out to be one of those Russian reworks. Although the bore looked very nice I soon found out that the first 1.5" forward of the chamber was burned out; it key holed BADLY @ 25 yds and was useless as a "shooter" so I threw it in the back of the gun safe. Flash forward almost a full year from when I first discovered the gun and I get a call from a member who'd just read a badly tattered "FOUND" notice that was still hanging onto one of the roof supports of club's outdoor shooting shelter. "Was the gun that I'd found last year possibly a GI 98K in a black plastic case?" Of course I confirmed what it was but then went after him as to why he hadn't responded to the posted notices at the club, the notice in the club news letter, the notice in the local "newspaper" (WHICH EVERYONE WITH A MAILBOX GETS FOR FREE) , or hadn't even bothered to call the local police to report the loss?! It turned that the guy has a C&R and took his then obtained rifle, along with a number of others to the range that warm March day, but had forgotten to take any 8mm ammo so he placed on an unoccupied shooting table. Just before dusk a winter storm front suddenly started blowing through so he quickly made a break for the parking lot and in his hurry had forgotten the 98k AND IN FACT NEVER REALIZED IT WAS MISSING UNTIL HE STARTED OUT FOR THE RANGE ON THE VERY DAY HE CALLED ME!!!!!!!! Of course I told him, that as the rifle had become legally mine, I'd very nearly had it converted to a 308 sporter with one of those $90 sporter barrels that Sportsman's Guide used to sell. However, in view of the fact that I'd had nothing more into it than the $15 for the newspaper ad and that it was useless as a shooter (BIG SURPRIZE to him!) he was welcomed to it. He came over to my house, thanked me for me efforts in trying to find out who owned it, handed me the $15 that I'd spent on the ad and took it home.

then "RECENTLT" obtained rifle

[IditarodJoe]

It doesn't surprise me that Major Tom and kcw did what any stand-up guy with strong personal integrity would do and got the firearms back to their rightful owners. I'm proud to be able to say I believe most (though sadly not all) of the regular posters to this forum could be relied on to do the same. Two great, though very different stories. Thanks for posting them!