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

[GeauxLSU]

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

Depends how you define 'second hand'. Many were gifts from my father, a mix of new and used. I've bought new and used for myself, just never used from a store.

 

[kuduman]

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.

Heh. I asked what the process was at a local gun store-- there isn't one-- they don't check with the police. Don't tell the bad guys.

Best I can tell in Georgia, it's county by county, at least for pawn shop oversight. Might vary by locale for gun stores too. This has been an educational experience for me.

Not hating on the pawn shops, but clearly the public isn't clear on how the system works.

BTW Zeake-- I think that Florida law is spot-on-- they pawned it when it was stolen, they owe the money back to the pawn shop. But it's probably a civil matter, and who wants to deal with a bunch of little lawsuits. What a headache. But yeah, what you described is theft from the pawn shop, and it certainly is not just. If you don't want to press charges, everyone should be made whole first. Don't know how to make that happen though.

 

[Ken Ford]

No way! Ken Ford says that's ridiculous.

"Just because your gun was used doesn't mean you did it. You won't be arrested just for that.
Under suspicion, questioned, interviewed? Hell yes, arrested with nothing else to go on? Hell no."

That was for possession, and I hope he sued.
But to be arrested because a gun that once was owned by someone without any other reason should never happen.
You really just like to argue, whether or not it's even relevant to the post.

 

[Zeake]

Heh. I asked what the process was at a local gun store-- there isn't one-- they don't check with the police. Don't tell the bad guys.

Best I can tell in Georgia, it's county by county, at least for pawn shop oversight. Might vary by locale for gun stores too. This has been an educational experience for me.

Not hating on the pawn shops, but clearly the public isn't clear on how the system works.

BTW Zeake-- I think that Florida law is spot-on-- they pawned it when it was stolen, they owe the money back to the pawn shop. But it's probably a civil matter, and who wants to deal with a bunch of little lawsuits. What a headache. But yeah, what you described is theft from the pawn shop, and it certainly is not just. If you don't want to press charges, everyone should be made whole first. Don't know how to make that happen though.

A property hearing. Police hold till case resolution.

 

[gh1950]

I worked in a small town (pop. about 17,000) and we got pawn tickets every week and there would be over 100 of them. Sometimes we just didn't get the serial numbers ran. But as large as the metro areas are someone should be punching serial numbers into the computers checking for stolen property.

This. In most jurisdictions the pawn shops turn in daily lists of goods they take in, and it's on local LEO to check out the info.

Pawn shops don't have access to the NCIS. No way for them to check out the serial number on a gun to see if it's been stolen.

I have a pawn shop tale of woe, but it goes back to the LGS where I bought the gun new-only about one tenth the pawn shop. Lesson I learned is that one digit difference in the serial number can cost you a gun.

The missing issue on the BOS discussion, is that the BOS doesn't tell you that the seller, commercial or private, legally owns the gun. An innocent buyer NEVER acquires title in stolen property, so if the guy who sold the gun to the guy who sold it to your guy stole it, you guy is selling stolen property, and you have no title in it.

 

[Ballplayer]

To be safe and reassured it's now been removed from the stolen list I'd recommend going to another law enforcement agency other than Dekalb County and having them run the serial # or else you yourself run a risk of a roadside encounter with a "reported" stolen firearm and a unpleasant backseat trip to a cell.

 

[kuduman]

To be safe and reassured it's now been removed from the stolen list I'd recommend going to another law enforcement agency other than Dekalb County and having them run the serial # or else you yourself run a risk of a roadside encounter with a "reported" stolen firearm and a unpleasant backseat trip to a cell.

This has crossed my mind-- I'm selling it; maybe as a trade at a gun store with full paperwork. I'll never feel good about having it outside the house.

 

[PawnExpress Newnan]

Bottom line is know who you do business with. Any used item has a possibility of being stolen. If you buy from a pawn shop at least the numbers should have been run. Not the same from individuals and flea markets. If you buy from John Doe and don't know them the risk is increased. If the item has changed hands Several times the trail of ownership is lost. Don't get me wrong, I personally buy plenty of used stuff from craigslist but not firearms.
Zeake is right. We have been in business for 5 years in newnan and have a total loss on confiscations under $1500. We work closely with the PD. We may have a confiscation every 6 months On some random tools or video game systems. 2 firearms since we have been there. One a guy claims to have bought outside of a large chain store after talking to them at the gun counter and the other was mentioned earlier.
Most criminals have gotten smart and know that the pawn shop is the last place to take stolen goods.

 

[baxterday]

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.

Where there's smoke there is fire. If much of the world has a similar view of pawn shops, there must be a reason for it. I meant a license to steal on a few fronts. First, the ability to buy stolen things and then hold it hostage until the "victim" pays for their things. Second, I liken pawn shops and title pawn companies in the same ilk. Both have a license to steal, and in my opinion, victimize poor and uneducated persons. I personally refuse to cross the doorstep of either kind of establishment.
Pawn shops are about as human as the AR-15 you refer to, it does however take humans to operate either.

 

[palmettomoon]

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.

Criminals are dangerous. It's much safer to make a 'case' against Joe Citizen. Bring him into the system so to speak.