# I found a gun **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964 "2013-06-02T19:02:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/41 "2013-06-04T13:41:13Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The logical thing to do would have been to report it to the front desk at the hotel, and let them deal with it, like any normal person would do with any other personal property discovered in those circumstances. The hotel can either contact the previous occupant of your room, or the police. Either way, you’re off the hook for a weapon that may have been used in inappropriate ways. And the front desk clerk would have kept it for himself. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/42 "2013-06-04T13:47:05Z")
Yes, I’d just have called the cops. There’d be nothing for you to gain from turning in a gun you’d had anything to do with so it wouldn’t have aroused any suspicion. The probably would have just asked a few questions, put the gun in an evidence bag and left. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/43 "2013-06-04T13:47:27Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Well, I am paranoid and not consistently morally upstanding so I would have wiped it and anything I touched in and around the speaker, put it back, and pretended I’d never seen it. My instant assumption would be that it had been used in a crime, and as much as I’d love to help catch the perpetrator, I’d be worried first of all about retribution for being a witness/rat and second of all about the police mistakenly implicating me and not believing a story about “just finding it here.” Yeah. Sad but true. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/44 "2013-06-04T15:37:20Z")
> [@cougar58](#): > > exactly > but give him till 6pm to respond (rumor has it, people with that level of logic, take 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes on CBS) > > I think some of the Dopers think Magazines are like socks at K-Mart - one size fits all. > > Amazing Your posts are continuing to be out of line. You have been warned about this before, so let this be the last notification for you: If you do not stop insulting others or replying snarkily has you have been sometimes, your posting privileges will be taken away. So cut it out with the subtle insults. Take it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/45 "2013-06-04T17:15:50Z")
> [@stoplight](#): > > I am a believer in energy prints left on items that could invite Karma to exact a tax on the holder of found item. It was stolen from you shortly after so was not yours to begin with but your energy stayed in the loop with the gun and its history, whatever history it was. Wow ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/46 "2013-06-04T17:20:14Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Wow 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/47 "2013-06-04T17:21:32Z")
Did you hear about the dyslexic guy who found a gnu? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/48 "2013-06-04T19:00:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Did you hear about the dyslexic guy who found a gnu? No, I did not. Did he toohs it? ---
**Author:** ![mikecu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@mikecu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecu)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/49 "2014-04-04T01:35:53Z")
> [@toofs](#): > > Should have kept it. Never know when you might need a throw away piece. I like this answer. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/50 "2014-04-04T02:09:37Z")
Depending upon the weapon type and whether or not it had been recently fired, I probably would have left it. It may have a body or two on it and then you’d have to enjoy several hours (or longer) of a police grilling when they discover that the weapon that you say you “found” was a ballistic match for one used in or or more homicides. No thanks, I don’t need that headache. OTOH, if it were a brand new weapon and I was certain that it wasn’t going to be “missed” (serial number filed off or drilled out for example) I might consider keeping it. You never know when it might be of use.😉 Either way, I would let someone else worry about calling the police as the “simply found something” excuse would invite more questions than I’d have any interest in answering. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964/51 "2014-04-04T03:39:49Z")
I realize it’s a bit of a zombie thread now, but just to add my .02 cents: I’ll bet the most likely situation is that it someone was living in the hotel room week-to-week, was hiding the gun because they weren’t supposed to have it (maybe the hotel didn’t allow them, maybe they were on parole), but then got unexpectedly kicked out (or sent back to prison). The hotel would have just kicked their junk to the curb, but it’s not like they could have been like “oh, hey, can I get back in there to retrieve my illicit pistol I vandalized your furniture to hide?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-gun/659964.md?page=2)