# Keeping a found gun **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241 "2016-09-29T21:53:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/21 "2016-09-29T23:54:02Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > To those who said “it depends on where you live” in response to what I wrote, note I said both times “it depends on where you live”. :rolleyes: > > The clear conclusion to draw, then, is that if you don’t live in those areas then what would happen to you is “nothing”. > > (I expected more of SDMB posters honestly…) It’s nice that you’re confident in your own conclusion. _Clear_ however, isn’t the way I’d characterize your previous statement, if the above is what you actually meant. “Those areas” comprise the vast majority of the US. But then again, sometimes my expectations aren’t met either. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/22 "2016-09-30T00:06:40Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > You will get busted eventually. Is all I am saying. Shoot a turkey or a rabbit for food, a Game Ward will visit you. Shoot an intruder, you are in a heap of shit after they find out you picked up this pistol thrown away in a ditch. I’ve had numerous encounters with game wardens, never had them say a thing about the gun except to unload it while they checked our hunting license. They don’t record the serial number and call it in to Game Warden Central Command. Same with a personal pistol, I could shoot an intruder and never have to show any bill of sale or anything concerning ownership of the gun. YMMV depending on jurisdiction, but none of what you posted would apply to me. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/23 "2016-09-30T00:08:54Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > It’s nice that you’re confident in your own conclusion. _Clear_ however, isn’t the way I’d characterize your previous statement, if the above is what you actually meant. “Those areas” comprise the vast majority of the US. > > But then again, sometimes my expectations aren’t met either. EDIT: “Those areas” are not the vast majority of the US.:smack: I’ve been dealing with a lot of reverse logic DCS blocks today. NOT ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/24 "2016-09-30T00:25:26Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > No, the law here in the US is clear. If not found in a commission of a crime possession is returned to owner or finder AFTER ANALYSIS. Your local jurisdiction may vary. May take a year or two. > > Do you want to possess a gun that possibly harmed or killed somebody? Not me. Never heard of this one, but I’m open to enlightenment…Cite please. BTW, Why would local jurisdictions have any effect on Federal _law_? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/25 "2016-09-30T00:30:58Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > EDIT: “Those areas” are not the vast majority of the US.:smack: > I’ve been dealing with a lot of reverse logic DCS blocks today. NOT It’s okay I understood what you meant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/26 "2016-09-30T00:55:32Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > Do you want to possess a gun that possibly harmed or killed somebody? Not me. Meh, if it killed someone notable (or as part of a notable altercation), it might become quite valuable (I imagine quite a lot of people would love to have the gun that killed Hitler), otherwise, how’s it different than possessing any other gun? It’s not like guns that have killed develop a taste for blood and become more likely to kill again. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/27 "2016-09-30T01:01:58Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > You will get busted eventually. Is all I am saying. Shoot a turkey or a rabbit for food, a Game Ward will visit you. Shoot an intruder, you are in a heap of shit after they find out you picked up this pistol thrown away in a ditch. Busted for what? Possession of a firearm (found or not) in the US is not against the law, generally speaking. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no sweeping mandate for a background check, no registration requirement, no bill of sale requisite to legally own a firearm. In your scenario, the best possible outcome, _would_ be that one _ **could** _ convince authorities that one _ **did** _ in fact, find it in a ditch. If proven to be so, no law has been violated by the “finder” (excepting the complication of the homicide). The relative intelligence of not reporting a found firearm may be debated, but the general legality of such, is indisputable. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/28 "2016-09-30T01:03:31Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > No, the law here in the US is clear. If not found in a commission of a crime possession is returned to owner or finder AFTER ANALYSIS. Where are you getting this from? Where is this law clear? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/29 "2016-09-30T01:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > if it killed someone notable (or as part of a notable altercation), it might become quite valuable The gun that George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin was apparently sold for somewhere between $100,000 (reported by [CNBC](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/19/zimmerman-claims-to-have-sold-trayvon-martin-gun-for-100k.html)) and $250,000 (reported by [The BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36354206)). ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/30 "2016-09-30T01:25:47Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > The gun that George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin was apparently sold for somewhere between $100,000 (reported by [CNBC](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/19/zimmerman-claims-to-have-sold-trayvon-martin-gun-for-100k.html)) and $250,000 (reported by [The BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36354206)). Though off topic, that is simply tragic. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/31 "2016-09-30T02:29:25Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > Never heard of this one, but I’m open to enlightenment…Cite please. BTW, Why would local jurisdictions have any effect on Federal _law_? I was not talking about Federal law (US). I meant the local LEO/Game Warden/County Sheriff/etc asking about your weapon in a non-confrontational manner. If you reported it found and it was returned to you, great. Given the proficiency of bureaucracy around these parts, that might take a year. **Keep your mouth shut and hope it wasn’t ditched by some gang-banger. Or just buy a new one is all I am saying. YMMV.** ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/32 "2016-09-30T02:38:49Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Where are you getting this from? Where is this law clear? That is just my understanding from several US States. Maybe I was fed bull shit, but it makes sense to me. A loose gun found on the side of the road and turned in to LEO will be processed in some way. No cites. Just hearsay. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/33 "2016-09-30T02:49:53Z")
One cite here … [What do to with evidence](http://www.tdcaa.com/node/4196)? But if us Texas country boys found one, we would just clean it and plink empty beer cans with it. I defer to better legal opinions. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/34 "2016-09-30T02:54:32Z")
[quote=“Cabin\_Fever, post:31, topic:767241”] I was not talking about Federal law (US).QUOTE] Well, yes you were. You said: “No, the law here in the US is clear.” ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/35 "2016-09-30T03:01:16Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > That is just my understanding \ No cites. Just hearsay. All right then.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/36 "2016-09-30T03:19:20Z")
Check above before you commit. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/37 "2016-09-30T03:21:48Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > One cite here … [What do to with evidence](http://www.tdcaa.com/node/4196)? > > But if us Texas country boys found one, we would just clean it and plink empty beer cans with it. > I defer to better legal opinions. Did you read the very first part of your cite?: > [@](#): > > The second article in a series discussing how to dispose of unneeded evidence in the police department’s evidence room ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/38 "2016-09-30T03:30:11Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > > [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > > > I was not talking about Federal law (US). > > Well, yes you were. You said: “No, the law here in the US is clear.” We are a nation of separate States, each independent of each other. If you have a problem with this…take me to The Pit. Good lorf. I detest this conversation topic from googohampters already. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/39 "2016-09-30T03:37:05Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Did you read the very first part of your cite?: Yes. but please this thread is getting de-railed, We need to hear back from the OP before we jump on each others shit. Free beer when that happens!!! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241/40 "2016-09-30T03:45:05Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > We are a nation of separate States, each independent of each other. If you have a problem with this…take me to The Pit. > Good lorf. I detest this conversation topic from googohampters already. > [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > Yes. but please this thread is getting de-railed, We need to hear back from the OP before we jump on each others shit. Free beer when that happens!!! **Moderator Note** Or until the moderator jumps on your shit.😉 Let’s refrain from posting hearsay in General Questions, as well as getting snarky with other posters when they call you on it. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-a-found-gun/767241.md?page=3)