How can i ensure the gun is clean so to speak

[MikeDVB]

I guess that possible........ but not likely.

Just one thing to consider, among many others.

Thats where your own precautions come into play. Like saving all emails and documents communicating with the buyer. And also having original documentation and receipts of the firearm.

Indeed, documentation is helpful but how unhappy would you be if you got pulled over and they 'wanted to check your weapon to see if it was stolen' and it *did* come back stolen (say, you decided not to sell it after all).

You wouldn't be receiving your firearm back at that time and would have to go through more trouble just to prove it's yours to get it back.

The buyer could be a dumb@%& and report it but it would not be that hard to refute the claim. Then said Dumb@%& gets to go to jail for false reporting. Probably perjury too since he would most likely have to sign a sworn statement saying that the gun is stolen.

I'm not saying the person was smart, but simply that they could report the serial as stolen and, at the least, cause you potential problems down the road. It's something to consider.

As a seller, its easy to verify. Just have an Officer run the check. You can always find an Officer that will help. Then when you do the actual buy make sure the numbers check out on the gun. I say this because that's exactly how i do all my private buys. I really dont care if someone gets offended, I'm not taking the chance on paying for a stolen gun. Plus if it is stolen your helping it get back to its rightful owner.

Going from above - you run the check on the gun and it comes back stolen because somebody else the seller gave the serial to so they could 'check it' reported it stolen. Now you're not buying the firearm because it's 'stolen' when in reality it's not and very likely the weapon goes into limbo until ownership is proven/established.

It's a decision/judgement call for the seller to make. I'd have no issues, as a seller, if you wanted an officer or somebody who could run the numbers to run them when we met for the transaction but I don't know that I'd provide the number over the internet in a non FTF type of environment.

Just like I may want you to sign a bill of sale and provide a scan of your drivers license - you're not going to send that scan over before the transaction happens (that I've seen).

In the end it all boils down to risk vs reward and convenience vs potential issues.

 

[WebSnyper]

I had a P3AT stolen exactly a year ago and filed a police report. It is not listed in the link above, but a search by serial number here on INGO found the stolen weapon post.

If I have any doubts, I use an FFL (Federal Firearms Licensed) dealer and have them do the paperwork.

Having an FFL do an NICS check doesn't tell you anything about whether the firearm is stolen. It only checks that the buyer is not prohibited from purchasing.

 

[MikeDVB]

Having an FFL do an NICS check doesn't tell you anything about whether the firearm is stolen. It only checks that the buyer is not prohibited from purchasing.

^^ This ^^

Unless the dealer goes out of their way to run some sort of check, and I'm not sure what type of systems they would or would not have access to, you can just as easily buy a stolen firearm via an FFL transfer as you can FTF.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

Don't bother checking with the state police on that, they don't care/are hostile on the subject. I made that sad mistake and my wife had to drag me out before there was a problem.

I would just avoid the situation where you are buying a gun and getting no receipt. When you do get a receipt, keep it safe like it was the title to your car.

 

[cook5oh]

Don't bother checking with the state police on that, they don't care/are hostile on the subject. I made that sad mistake and my wife had to drag me out before there was a problem.

I would just avoid the situation where you are buying a gun and getting no receipt. When you do get a receipt, keep it safe like it was the title to your car.

Soooo, because you had one bad experience with an officer, we should just discount the reliability or helpfulness of the entire state police?


I agree with the person up above. It's all a matter of your own decision and what risk you want to take. Personally, I'm gonna go with the safe route. Document everything and check it out ahead of time. It's worked out every time for me and I don't have to worry about being in possession of a stolen weapon. I have worked cases with people unknowingly possessing stolen weapons they had purchased off of someone. It's a headache for them. You don't want that.

 

[tpntch]

Short answer... No.

Longer answer... No.

What happens if you buy a gun that was used in a crime?

 

[WebSnyper]

What happens if you buy a gun that was used in a crime?

Don't know, but doesn't change the fact that an FFL transfer doesn't check any history of the firearm. It is a background check on the purchaser only...

What happens if you buy a hammer/wrench/baseball bat... that was used in a crime?

 

[MikeDVB]

What happens if you buy a gun that was used in a crime?

You know, that always had me wondering... How do they know whether a firearm was used in a crime?

I mean, it's not like when somebody points a gun in your face you take the chance to find, read, and retain the serial number in memory.

 

[cook5oh]

You know, that always had me wondering... How do they know whether a firearm was used in a crime?

I mean, it's not like when somebody points a gun in your face you take the chance to find, read, and retain the serial number in memory.

You probably wont know. If it was used in the actual commission of a crime you probably wont know anything about it unless Law Enforcement can trace and recover it from you. I think this thread deals more with guns that are stolen.

 

[MikeDVB]

You probably wont know. If it was used in the actual commission of a crime you probably wont know anything about it unless Law Enforcement can trace and recover it from you. I think this thread deals more with guns that are stolen.

No I mean ... how exactly is it traced? It is on the topic of the thread because without an understanding of how they would trace the weapon, how could one possibly check to see if it was used in a crime in the past (or not)?

The thread is about whether the weapon is clean or not and a trace would help determine that... I'm not saying we're going to trace our firearms or ones that we want to buy, but it is on topic as far as I see it.

 

[cook5oh]

No I mean ... how exactly is it traced? It is on the topic of the thread because without an understanding of how they would trace the weapon, how could one possibly check to see if it was used in a crime in the past (or not)?

The thread is about whether the weapon is clean or not and a trace would help determine that... I'm not saying we're going to trace our firearms or ones that we want to buy, but it is on topic as far as I see it.

If Law Enforcement have a suspect weapon in a crime they are looking for, they usually track it down buy checking gun sales and questioning suspects and witnesses as to where or who the weapon ended up going to. Also tracing backwards to original owners can lead to getting the serial number. If Law Enforcement are able to gain some information like the serial number of a gun it can be entered into NCIC, and will come up as a hit when doing a check on the weapon.

The reason why I say this thread is more about stolen weapons is because most of the time a hit on an NCIC check of a gun comes back as stolen.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

Soooo, because you had one bad experience with an officer, we should just discount the reliability or helpfulness of the entire state police?

Soooo........I see that you are trying to make me out as prejudiced and ignorant.

Now consider that I went to the Indiana state police HEADQUARTERS to ask my questions and took nothing but grief. I don't consider it outrageous to think that the people who control and make policy for the entire state police force do indeed speak for and represent the entire Indiana state police dept.

The officer who's job was to be REPRESENTATIVE of the indiana state police to the public, was ignorant, arrogant and opinionated. He was WORSE than unhelpful...... He made sure that the desired information would NEVER be obtained. His position was that the policy of the state police is not to clear the way for the person to person sale of a firearm. Soooo yes, On the bad experience with this officer I discount the helpfulness of the state police in this particular endeavor, as a matter of "policy" YMMV

 

[BE Mike]

If your really concerned, offer to meet at an FFL and do the transfer through them.

How does doing a firearm sale through a dealer, insure that the firearm is not stolen?

 

[snowwalker]

I bought a hand gun from a fellow member here and got a call a month later from a LEO saying that it was stolen. More then twenty guns had been stolen from this guy. I met with the officer the next day and surrendered the gun. The member I bought it from would have returned all my money, but he was out quite a bit as he had bought several of them and sold them. To be fair, I only asked for half, which he did. I think that was fair considering he could have told me "too bad".

 

[danielson]

I dont think ppl are saying to do an FFL transfer to make sure the weapon isnt stolen.. Its to have proof that you bought it from the guy, thus covering YOUR ass.

 

[WebSnyper]

How does doing a firearm sale through a dealer, insure that the firearm is not stolen?

It doesn't.