Guns don't kill people, Americans do! And in huge numbers!
Why are gun owners afraid to admit they own guns?
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Guns don't kill people, Americans do! And in huge numbers!
jazzrule
Well-Known Member
I have to give Stoked a like just for the pure humor...it made me laugh.
Found a handgun on the trail while dirt-biking in the desert on Saturday. Researched about whether to turn it in and found out that Utah really is the wild west. No registration necessary, can carry without a permit, can carry with a bullet in the chamber. I'm not really a gun guy except for my shotgun for home protection but I have thought about getting a handgun for camping in the boonies. I'm leaning toward not turning it in because the police will probably just end up keeping it. My wife thinks I'm crazy to keep it. What do you guys think, will the police find the owner?
Probably not. More importantly, you don't know the gun's history. It might be connected to several crimes. Not that it is likely this gun would ever be tested, but if it is, you don't know what you are setting yourself up for.
Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
My advice is to stick it in a gun safe. If you don't have a gun safe then go buy one. If you don't want to buy one, even a small one that can fit under your bed, then turn it in to police.
Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
He's setting himself up for claiming he found the gun on September 8th, 2023 while dirt-biking in the desert. He even told people of his find publicly a couple of days later
If I found it in the gutter in Detroit I'd turn it in. I have several friends who ride and side×side with their guns, pretty sure this is one of those and probably not connected to any crime.
If I found a gun I'd try to post on local gun forums giving people a chance to claim it.
I would not keep a gun that I didn't know its history, or have a clear chain of custody for my ownership, but that is just me.
Also most states would require you to attempt to find the owner of lost property before you can take legal ownership. (Bikes are a common example). The process generally requires you to give to the police, they run serials and attenpt to find the owner. If you take it without going through a similar process, it could be inferred you took it with the intent to keep/deprive owner of its return. And a post on a lost and found site would generally not be enough to negate that intent.
I'd be very clear to the police that you want to keep it if the owner cannot be found.
I'd be very clear to the police that you want to keep it if the owner cannot be found.
From the research I've done once you give it to the police the chances are they don't find the owner and they keep the gun. I did put the gun on a lost and found site the day I found it, still haven't heard from anyone. I may still end up giving it to the police though.