# What are you supposed to do if you find a gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813 "2016-09-25T12:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/81 "2016-09-27T14:49:14Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The first several computers I owned had somebody else’s stuff on them, I got them at thrift shops or hand-me-downs, and one I actually did spot in a dumpster and took it home. What was my so-called “risk” that you are so terrified of? > > Where I live, people drive around on trash day looking for useful things that have been discarded. Trash amnesty day is practically a holiday for that purpose. I’m not going to pass up a nice sofa, just because there might be “evidence” under the cushions. Ooh, a condom – might havve been owned by a prostitute – better report that. Going back to the OP: > [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > I’m guessing it varies with state jurisdiction, but what are you supposed to do if while going about your business you see a pistol, rifle, shotgun or any other sort of firearm just lying around on the street? Buying something used or picking it up on trash day where you can at least record the house are slightly different stories from the OP. But lets talk dumpster diving; a person I lived near snagged a nice laptop in a dumpster down near Market Square - nice case and everything. It worked but a little funky so eventually he took it to a local place to see about getting it straightened out. The repair place thought “I found it” sounded odd and had the numbers ran; you probably guessed but it had been taken in an robbery on Liberty Ave. He didn’t get arrested or anything (it was possible - receiving stolen property) but he did get investigated and a lecture. And the cops didn’t get to check the dumpster for anything else that could have been there since more than a week had passed. So you may feel free to help yourself to anything you want. As for me, I just don’t need it or any hassle that could be attached. And since we’re getting off the OP in our scenarios I’m probably moving on; but it has been interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/82 "2016-09-29T19:00:48Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > Agreed. If I can spot it 50 feet away I’ll change directions. Completely ignoring it wouldn’t be the socially responsible thing to do. The other night I was having dinner at McDonald’s, and when I approached the door I saw a large black canvas bag sitting on the ground a couple of feet away from the door, against the wall of the building. When I looked inside it, I saw a propane tank attached to what appeared to be a large black metallic box about the same shape and size of a VCR. The alarming thing was that was there was a small protrusion on the side of the box that looked like a 15-pin serial port. I knew that it was probably nothing, but I called the sheriff’s office anyway. They were there in about three minutes. Turned out to be a camping stove. But the cops who responded didn’t laugh at me or suggest that I was an idiot for wasting their time. The dispatcher who took my call told me to stay a respectable distance away from it, and warn the employees of the store not to use that door or go near it either, which I did. So 99% of the time it’s nothing, but there’s still a small chance that it represents some form of criminal activity. Certainly, in the case of a ditched gun there’s a very real hazard involved, so even if you don’t want to go near it (which is understandable) taking two minutes of your time to alert the authorities of its presence isn’t unreasonable. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/83 "2016-09-29T20:07:04Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Completely ignoring it wouldn’t be the socially responsible thing to do. The other night I was having dinner at McDonald’s, and when I approached the door I saw a large black canvas bag sitting on the ground a couple of feet away from the door, against the wall of the building. When I looked inside it, I saw a propane tank attached to what appeared to be a large black metallic box about the same shape and size of a VCR. The alarming thing was that was there was a small protrusion on the side of the box that looked like a 15-pin serial port. I knew that it was probably nothing, but I called the sheriff’s office anyway. They were there in about three minutes. Turned out to be a camping stove. But the cops who responded didn’t laugh at me or suggest that I was an idiot for wasting their time. The dispatcher who took my call told me to stay a respectable distance away from it, and warn the employees of the store not to use that door or go near it either, which I did. So 99% of the time it’s nothing, but there’s still a small chance that it represents some form of criminal activity. Certainly, in the case of a ditched gun there’s a very real hazard involved, so even if you don’t want to go near it (which is understandable) taking two minutes of your time to alert the authorities of its presence isn’t unreasonable. With the recent bombs in New York and New Jersey, and of course the bombs at the Boston Marathon, it was a wise thing to do to report the bag, even if it turned out to be harmless. There was a very real possibility it could have been an explosive device. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/84 "2016-09-29T21:39:26Z")
If you see something, say something. Call the cops and let them handle it. STOP! Don’t Touch. Run Away. Tell a Grown-up. -Eddie Eagle [https://eddieeagle.nra.org/](https://eddieeagle.nra.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/85 "2016-09-29T22:18:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The funny thing about lost guns in this context is that the folks who’re anti-gun/afraid of guns will tend to assume a lost gun is crime-related, because to them all guns are crime-related at least potentially. The pro-gun folks would tend to assume a benign explanation for the lost gun because to them guns are a benign to positive feature of life. Which assumption undermines their common contention that all gun owners are hyper-conscientious. They’d actually be more logically consistent to assume it’s a crime gun. I’m pro-gun and I’d definitely assume a handgun lying in public about was crime-related; getting a licence for one is really, _really_ hard in Australia and owners have to be hyper-conscientious. They’re not allowed to carry them around (legally they can be transported from their safe storage location to a shooting range or a gun dealer or gun smith or a police station and that’s about it) so on the balance of probabilities, a handgun (not in a protective carry case or anything) lying about _is_ most likely crime-related. Also, it’d be statewide news. Rifles and shotguns are also restricted here and while the licences aren’t as hard to get as they are for a handgun, there’s still a lot of responsibility involved so outside a rural area, I’d assume a longarm lying about was probably crime-related as well. Regardless, I’m not touching the firearm but I’m definitely calling the cops and staying with the gun until they get there. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/86 "2016-09-30T01:10:46Z")
I’m making good notes of the location of the gun & calling crime stoppers. No way I let the cops know my name. Around here they take the path of least resistance on who to accuse. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/87 "2016-09-30T17:30:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Cite? Because as a person who is “pro-gun” enough to own one, I’m much more aware of the responsibility of keeping track of a gun now than I was before owning one, and I’d feel very suspicious about finding a discarded one. Which you’d think is natural, much like being a homeowner makes you more aware of home security concerns. +1. Hole in your holster? A pink four-legged herbivore is pretty definitely not a cow. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/88 "2016-10-02T17:48:01Z")
Definitely do NOT touch the gun or disturb it. If you do, and someone goes to trial where that gun is vidence, you have given the defense an opening to claim that YOU placed the gun there, or in some way changed a pertinent fact. At the least, that could drag you into court to testify, creating hassle for you. As for waiting for the cops… The problem is that you might be waiting a long time. It depends on where you are and how diligent the cops are. The last time I called the police, it was after a confrontation with a man who was carrying a bag and a flashlight and wandering the neighborhood peering into car windows at 1 am. He turned out to be an exact match for a felon on the province’s top 10 most wanted list, and he was considered violent and dangerous. I gave the cops all this information, and a squad car showed up to investigate - almost two hours later. The guy was on foot, but even so he was long gone. If the gun was in a place where it was unlikely to be found by anyone else soon, i might just give the cops enough information to find it, then be on my way unless specifically ordered to stay there. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/89 "2016-10-04T15:43:27Z")
In my Town here in MA the police have run ‘gun amnesty days’ where you can bring an unwanted firearm to the police station and turn it in. Apparently we have had a number of cases of a gunowner dying and the gun is discovered by heirs (who don’t have firearms licenses) The amnesty day allows them to turn the gun in without fear of committing the crime of being in possession of a firearm without a license to do so. I don’t know what the police do with those firearms. How would you check if it had been used in a crime? Testing for fingerprints might be practical but I don’t see them firing each gun and checking the marks on the bullet or shell casing. Maybe the serial number could be used to determine if it had been stolen. And I suppose a weapon with the serial number removed would be a likely target for further investigation. (I’m not a gun guy so please excuse that question if its way off base.) ---
**Author:** ![Sdowiat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Sdowiat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sdowiat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/90 "2020-05-06T16:07:43Z")
I’d been looking for a Gallery Special for a long time… but they are EXPENSIVE now for a good one. Then, the other day I ran across one in a pawn shop at not too bad a price. I offered a bit less and to my surprise the owner accepted! Finding at gun, the RIGHT gun and a good price, but if you just keep looking and visiting the right places you may just run on on it! ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/91 "2020-05-06T16:34:47Z")
A few years ago one of my employees found an old revolver inside our company fence and called me down to take a look. It had been there a while - grass had grown tall over it. This was adjacent to a busy road, so I figured it was probably tossed after being used in a crime. I picked it up with a plastic grocery sack, checked to see if it was loaded(it wasn’t), took it inside to my desk and called the police. The officer who came to pick it up a couple of hours later told me I needn’t have been so careful about fingerprints - “We never gets prints off them”. He said they would trace the ownership if possible and fire a round to see if it had been used in a crime, but matching it to a crime scene bullet was unlikely. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/92 "2020-05-06T16:50:00Z")
Armed zombies scare me. IMHO, treat it like a UXO; don’t touch it, stand watch over it from a safe distance (and not in the line of fire) and call the local police. Tripler Woe be to those amateurs who handle a piece of unexploded ordnance (UXO). ---
**Author:** ![sps49sd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sps49sd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sps49sd)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/93 "2020-05-06T17:00:25Z")
> [@UncleFred](#): > > In my Town here in MA the police have run ‘gun amnesty days’ where you can bring an unwanted firearm to the police station and turn it in. Apparently we have had a number of cases of a gunowner dying and the gun is discovered by heirs (who don’t have firearms licenses) The amnesty day allows them to turn the gun in without fear of committing the crime of being in possession of a firearm without a license to do so. > > I don’t know what the police do with those firearms. How would you check if it had been used in a crime? Testing for fingerprints might be practical but I don’t see them firing each gun and checking the marks on the bullet or shell casing. Maybe the serial number could be used to determine if it had been stolen. And I suppose a weapon with the serial number removed would be a likely target for further investigation. (I’m not a gun guy so please excuse that question if its way off base.) Is there a grace period where you can get a permit for a unexpectedly owned firearm? Massachusetts:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/94 "2020-05-06T17:27:05Z")
> [@sps49sd](#): > > Is there a grace period where you can get a permit for a unexpectedly owned firearm? > Massachusetts:rolleyes: I don’t believe you are required to register ownership of firearms in Massachusetts. But the sale, transfer, inheritance or loss of firearms is required to be reported to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services Firearms Records Bureau (FRB). here’s the relevant statutes: [General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 129C](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129c) [General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 129D](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129D) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/95 "2020-05-06T17:47:12Z")
> [@Snorri\_Thorfinnsson](#): > > In this marvelous cloud cuckoo land we now find ourselves living in Oh \*\*Snorri, Snorri, \*\*you innocent child, writing such a thing in September 2016. How halcyon that time seems now. Little did you know what was coming next. (Apologies if that seems too political an observation for GQ, but I think we can all agree the divisiveness of the political landscape and Covid 19 make the world pretty cuckoo right now, regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum.) . ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/96 "2020-05-06T17:55:02Z")
To the folks saying that it might not be crime-related: OK, sure, there’s a possibility that someone just legitimately lost it. I have no idea of the probability, but it’s possible. But what then? If I find a piece of fairly valuable property lying around, well, I’m going to want to do the responsible thing and return it to its owner. And how would I do that? I’d think that the first step would be to call the police (at least, for something for which there wasn’t someone more obvious to call: For a lost cell phone, for instance, I might call the phone company). In other words, no matter why the gun’s there, calling the police is a good idea. Now, what the police do next might depend on whether it was lost or ditched after a crime, but that’s their problem, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/97 "2020-05-06T17:55:04Z")
To the folks saying that it might not be crime-related: OK, sure, there’s a possibility that someone just legitimately lost it. I have no idea of the probability, but it’s possible. But what then? If I find a piece of fairly valuable property lying around, well, I’m going to want to do the responsible thing and return it to its owner. And how would I do that? I’d think that the first step would be to call the police (at least, for something for which there wasn’t someone more obvious to call: For a lost cell phone, for instance, I might call the phone company). In other words, no matter why the gun’s there, calling the police is a good idea. Now, what the police do next might depend on whether it was lost or ditched after a crime, but that’s their problem, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/98 "2020-05-06T18:00:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To the folks saying that it might not be crime-related: OK, sure, there’s a possibility that someone just legitimately lost it. I have no idea of the probability, but it’s possible. > > But what then? If I find a piece of fairly valuable property lying around, well, I’m going to want to do the responsible thing and return it to its owner. And how would I do that? I’d think that the first step would be to call the police (at least, for something for which there wasn’t someone more obvious to call: For a lost cell phone, for instance, I might call the phone company). > > In other words, no matter why the gun’s there, calling the police is a good idea. Now, what the police do next might depend on whether it was lost or ditched after a crime, but that’s their problem, not mine. The police will almost certainly inquire with the National Crime Information Center to determine if the gun was stolen or reported lost and entered in to the file. If they don’t get a hit on it, they should (though they may not) enter the gun information in to the file as a recovered gun, on the off chance that the owner reports it stolen later. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/99 "2020-05-06T18:39:43Z")
You report it to the police. They will hold it for a certain amount of time. If it is cleared of being used in a crime or stolen they may give it back to you as found property. Or they may destroy it. Amusing anecdote, I once found a handgun in the men’s room of my local bar/cafe. There happened to be a state police officer sitting at the café counter eating lunch. I motioned to the waitress, while I still was blocking the door, and when she came over I told her to have the cop come over. It was his, he had taken it off to take a shit or something. He was very happy with my discretion. It would have been very embarrassing had I just brought the gun out and gave it to him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813/100 "2020-05-06T18:44:38Z")
Welp, what I would do now is a lot different than what I did when I was 20 and found one. I was camping at a campground I think maybe in Michigan, or was it Kentucky? Hell, I don’t remember but I was following the Grateful Dead a bit so that tells you why my memory is fuzzy. 😉 I had retired to my tent to get a bit of sleep and a couple of guys were walking by, weaving around tents and one of the guys tripped over one of my tent lines. He practically fell on my but I managed to actually push him off my tent and he righted himself. I heard a thud in the grass and just assumed he tripped again. In the morning when I got up I found a gun lying in the grass by my tent, right where my head had lain. I was a bit mortified since it was a semi-automatic pistol and could’ve potentially gone off. So anyway, I gingerly picked it up and threw it into a dumpster. Was it a wise choice? Most likely not but I was not about to bring the police into that environment if you catch my drift. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-supposed-to-do-if-you-find-a-gun/766813.md?page=6)