Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Let me start by saying that most of my guns are used; only two of them were bought new. Here's my story about what took place a few days ago.

I drove to a conference and took my shotgun for the skeet shoot. I unloaded the car at the motel and turned in for the night. An hour later there was a knock on the door and when I peeped to see who it was there were three police officers standing in the hall. I opened the door and one of them asked if I owned a honda car, and I replied that I did. Then he asked if i had a gun in my car and I replied that I did. He asked to come in, so I told him sure. He asked me to describe the gun, and I told him it was a 870 express pump 12 ga. shotgun. He told me that they had recovered it when they arrested a guy! It was stolen from my car! I was pissed!!

I know i should not have left it in the car, but I had lots of other gearI had to unload, and the gun was in a case in the back floor board. Here's where it gets really screwed up! He asked me where I got the gun, and I replied that I bought it right after I graduated high school in 1993 at a gun shop that was no longer in business. I had bought the gun used. He informed me that the gun was reported stolen! I told him that I did not recall filling out any paperwork on the gun, but I may have since it was a long time ago. He asked if I still had a receipt, which I don't.

So, to make a long story short. The officer called the county sheriff's office where the gun was reported stolen, and sure enough it was reported stoled a couple months before I bought it!! I could not believe it!! We went out to the car and made sure the theif did not steal anything else. I later found out that bounty hunters caught the guy in a motel room in the city I was staying in. He had 6 felony warrants against him, and they caught him with my gun, drugs, and paraphernelia. I was in disbelief, while at the same time I was mad. This guy could have sold the gun, or committed a crime and it would of had my name written all over it! Thank goodness the bounty hunters caught him. But, now I am out a gun; because I bought a stolen gun. I had to go buy a brand new gun for our turkey season that opens in a week.

So, the morals of the story are never buy a used gun unless the serial number has been cleared, and don't leave your guns in your vehicle!

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I hope this will be a lesson to all.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I own several used guns. How can I see if the S/N has been cleared?Any websites for this?
Thanks.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

sorry for your trouble but all of life comes with risks and this case is a very poor reason to never again buy a used gun.....just saying it like it is.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I'll continue to buy used guns myself. Just picked up a Ruger M77 in .270 Win. made in 1980. Love it. :D

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I've called the sheriff's office to check serial numbers.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Buy from a reputable dealer (who would be checking the serial numbers before he takes them in because he can loose them to the authorities just like you can) and always keep the receipts!

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I recently purchased a used gun from a friend and was curious about this too, I asked my cousin who is a deputy for the county I live in and he said he could run the number for me but if it came up stolen he would have to confiscate it because when he calls it in if it is stolen, it automatically logs it in with the Federal Government and then the officer is responsible for what happens next. Of course I had him do it because I didnt want to be possessing an illegal weapon. Just passing on this info.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Receipts come in handy at times

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Thanks Mossy.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

As I stated I will never buy another gun that does not have a cleared and checked serial number!! I definitely do not want to risk being accused of something that I did not do!!

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Quite a few years ago my brother bought a NEW semi auto 22lr. He bought it from a big gunshop in a city where he lives.

One evening a knock on the door and he answers. It was the police and they asked if he owned such and such 22lr. He said yes, they asked to see it and it was the NEW 22 he had just bought. They then told him that THAT 22had beenused in a MURDER!!!! (keep in mind he bought it NEW)

He about fell over and amazeingly he had kept the receipt and box for the gun, as normally he didn't as he traded guns all the time. He had a lot of guns (mostly 22's) and just didn't keep the boxes ect...

Lucky for him he proved where he got it, and the dealer gave him ANOTHER ONE new in the box!!

Later the dealer found out it had been removed from the distributor, used in a murder and put back to go out to a dealer!!!!

Buying NEW guarantees nothing!! You can't even blame the dealer for what happened to my brother.

Drilling Man

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

you see... us canadians, we got that covered, when we go to register our guns, they automatically do a thet check on it... kinda nice, but not too nice when you find out you had a stolen gun for 5 years and they take it away...

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Man, I miss the days when you could buy a gun at Sear's or Western Auto, and you didn't think twice about trading a half worn set of mud grips for a shotgun your buddy was willing to deal with.

Used guns are my favorite kind of gun shopping.I bet the previous owner wasshocked the cops found his gun. That was very unfortunate on your behalf.

C. Davis

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I know here in MD, when you buy a gun from a FFL dealer, used or not, they call it in on the NIC system. Even when I buy one on the internet and its shipped to my gunsmith, they do.

Do they not do that in other states?

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

They do it here also BC. Nothing more fun than finding a cheap used gun...although beware if their hands are shaking...:D

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Here in IL, all checks are made at the time of purchase or done during the waiting period. I keep a hard copy record of every gun I've bought, sold, adn who it came from or went to. Can't have too much paper trail when it comes to keeping your name clear.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

I have lots of used guns, a few of which were probably used to kill someone in a faraway land a long time ago. I'm not too worried about anyone knocking on my door about it though:D

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

i dont think the moral of the story should be dont buy used guns, i think it should be more like know where the gun came from.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Read it again.

RE: Reason NOT to Buy a Used Gun
 

Well that is stupid, to worry about you being implicated on a murder because of your gun. If your gun is stoled or was, and it was used for a crime, then its not your fault. If they still your gun from your car, go and kill someone, they are not going to put it back in you car next day right? So you will see you are missing a gun from your car and report it was stolen so your not responsible anymore for what happens with your gun. It could the same with a millions of thing, if you lose your credit card, or if your car is stolen and they make a crime with it. Most cars stolen are because they want use it for a crime, so most people just report it the minute the car was stolen. The same should be with guns and anything else. You report because you dont want to be vinculated with that item anymore, and maybe they catch the person and give your item back.
In the case the gun was stolen, in dont know in the states but in most countries when you buy a used gun its cleared if it has papers. That is weard, if the gun is actually legal, adn you have the papers for it, how is it they dont report if it was stolen some years ago?
Actually that do sounds like a police business. What happens if a cop just shows up, and says its stolen, and its not. They could confiscate tons of guns this way and you would never know it. I dont mean the cases where you ask for a proof.