S&W 380 Stolen 1-25 or 26

[Keyless]

Advice taken . Keep in mind it may not be a bad idea if buying from an individual , to see if the numbers can be checked to see if stolen.  Can any Police officer check the numbers to see if a gun is stolen ?  What is the best way to get one checked ?

Edited January 27, 2013 by Keyless

[Patton]

After many years in law enforcement this is the worse way to try and get a stolen firearm back. If word gets out that the gun and it's serial number have been reported stolen it will end up in the bottom of a river or get put deep into a closet to be used as a throw down gun.(both cases you will never get it back)
It's best to just report the gun stolen and never post a ad like this. Sit back and wait for the day it gets pawned or is located on a traffic stop.

To give you a example I get about 1 call a month of someone asking me to run a serial number. I say sure bring it to me and I will run it only after it's in my hand. If it is stolen I have to take it. They always say never mind. Edited January 26, 2013 by Patton

[Guest ddives]

Thanks for the info as I had three stolen firearms a few years ago, reported to local police and a few websites that tally stolen guns. I haven't heard anything since the detective logged the case. I sense they will never turn up.

[Patton]

Dives, I recommend calling the detective handling your cases to make sure NCIC is showing your weapons stolen and that it is being handled as a open case.

[Keyless]

We didn't figure he would ever get it back anyway. Just try to maybe keep someone from buying it . I am sure someone will buy , but most of that crowd probably doesn't visit here . But I guess you may be right. We figure it was someone he knows .

[Patton]

I don't know where you live In Northern Hamilton County but ask your neighbors if they saw anything. I mean anything, even a different car in the neighborhood. Any recent painters or construction workers in the neighborhood lately? I have noticed A large amount of thefts in nice residential areas occur while painting, remodeling, roofing, and etc is going on. It was a Friday-Saturday so the likely good of a teenager is great. Any trouble kids in the neighborhood? Someone you know? If your around HWY 58, do you know David Randal Thomas? This sounds like his MO.
I would say the odds of the gun being recovered one day is actually pretty good.
Yes any police officer can run a serial number but they are only supposed to do it with the weapon in their hand. No over the phone checks.

[RichardR]

To give you a example I get about 1 call a month of someone asking me to run a serial number. I say sure bring it to me and I will run it only after it's in my hand. If it is stolen I have to take it. They always say never mind.

What about the folks trying to find out if the firearm they are *thinking* about buying, that just want to make sure that a firearm isn't stolen prior to buying it?

Seems to me that policy only hurts law-abiding folks who are trying to make sure everything is legit prior to engaging in a person to person transaction. Edited January 27, 2013 by RichardR

[Patton]

It's hard to believe but the way things are is about the best we can get about insuring stolen firearms get recovered. If you could search a database to discover that something(TV, bicycle, firearm) is stolen most people will hide that item and never bring it out. Very few people will surrender the item to police. Truthfully most stolen items get stripped of all valuable untraceable parts.

All you have to do is walk into a ffl in TN and do the transfer. They enter the serial number and we recover a lot of them that way. Occasionally guns get shipped off gunbroker to TN before they get caught. TN has a pretty high recovery rate of stolen items compared to other states.
As with any purchase if it is too good to be true it probably is and you should stay away. If you have a funny vibe you should also not purchase the said item. Edited January 28, 2013 by Patton