So what's the deal with pawn shops and stolen guns? Story below...

[JWAR91]

One of the ones here in Rome told me they put what they buy in their system and it takes about a week to come back if it is stolen or not but I assume they enter all guns they buy into that system.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Geaux,

Yes, I reported it stolen from the parking lot where it happened, in 2007. Vehicle damage, three guns, one laptop, one camera. Called in the serial numbers after I got home. We left the guns in the truck because we were going into a restaurant that served alcohol, and that was the stupid law at the time. If I'd realized my partner had left his laptop case visible in the truck, I'd have had him bring it in.

DEKALB wanted proof of purchase to release it, and only for firearms. $10K diamond ring? No problem. $500 Glock-- big problem. But it's Dekalb. They are notorious for taking guns for no reason and making it difficult to recover them. Or were anyway.

I assume if I did not have proof of purchase, I'd not get it back. Which means they believe I filed a false police report, a felony-- and yet I don't think they'd arrest me for that. Basically, don't buy used guns from pawn shops or gun stores if you're going to have them on your person or in your car, and stay out of Dekalb County. I would make an exception if they have the box and so forth.

Still irks me though that on the one hand they act like possession of a stolen gun is a big deal-- yet aren't going to make any effort to track down the ahole that stole it in the first place, and probably pawned it. This would be easy to trace.

Ridiculous. Yep, I'd be irked too! In that case, just make up a BOS after the fact. Dekalb is certainly the issue here. Warning heeded!
Glad you got it back!

 

[BanjoJohn]

It should be as easy as entering the #s into a computer program that has the #s of all reported stolen firearms, and have a reply within seconds as to whether or not it was stolen. After all we are in the 21st century. (a week to come back?)They could use the USPS and get a reply in a week.
If the firearm has been reported stolen and 24 hours has lapsed and the #s haven't been entered, hold the Police department that took the report responsible for restitution.

 

[Zeake]

Wow! What a cluster. I have never purchased a firearm from a pawn shop and this pretty much seals I never will. Dang!

Those are extremely rare occurrences also most pawn shops sell new guns as well. Which would eliminate any of that.

 

[Zeake]

In Florida, we got the pawn tickets and ran each and every item to see if it was stolen. However as I recall, It did not release the old owner from having to pay the pawn shop for the money he/she had in it. The pawn dealers association had a really strong lobby in Florida, and helped them get legislation passed to protect them. It's a license to buy stolen merchandise, as long as you don't know it is stolen. Most things pawned in our town were for the person to resupply their crack cocaine stash.

Your view of pawn shops is really skewed. Much like the rest of the world. I would compare it to a liberals view of ar 15s.

A license to buy stolen merchandise is bovine excrement. Less than 1 tenth of a percent of merchandise that is pawned ends up being stolen. The legislation was put in place because police would confiscate the merchandise in question and immediately return it to the victim with no property hearing. They would then drop the charges. Which in reality is theft from the pawn broker. Example: Mom reports her son stole her wedding set but she won't press charges. PD gives it back to her and son got himself some free money. I've witnessed it first hand. Pawn shops have a bad rap when in reality we are human just like everyone else. We have good and bad.

 

[Plinker66]

Maybe ODT should just create a free searchable public database for reporting and checking on stolen gun serial numbers.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Maybe ODT should just create a free searchable public database for reporting and checking on stolen gun serial numbers.

http://www.hotgunz.com/

 

[BanjoJohn]

Wow! What a cluster. I have never purchased a firearm from a pawn shop and this pretty much seals I never will. Dang!

Would you ever purchase a used firearm from a gun store?
The same potential is there that it could have been stolen at some point.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Would you ever purchase a used firearm from a gun store?
The same potential is there that it could have been stolen at some point.

Never thought about it but never have and don't intend to. Only guns I've purchased from stores are new.

 

[BanjoJohn]

Never thought about it but never have and don't intend to. Only guns I've purchased from stores are new.

I would say that 95% of the firearms I own are secondhand.