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Serial Numbers
mackcrane
Member Posts: 1,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have noticed in some of the auctions part of the serial numbers are purposely covered or partially so. What is the reason for this? Thanks for the information and education.
God Bless The U.S.
God Bless The U.S.
Comments
Terry
Caz1259
When describing a firearm, the writer often includes a partial serial number on the order of 1234xxxx. Just what, in the way of theft or other misconduct via miscreant , does that prevent????
It would seem unlikely to me that a full serial number would be of any use by the criminal boneheads of the world.
Stan
Paul
Mountain Magic Gunsmithing
Thank you[:o)]
Miles
When in doubt go faster
That said. Your problem doesn't rest with them. It's between you and your relative. If you didn't get a written agreement with him/her?, concerning the disposition of the guns. It's a he says, she says issue. They are going to tell you, to settle it between you and your relative.
He will quickly give up the name of the pawn shop, then the Police will go there with the list of guns and his name.
After his arrest, the guns will be tracked thru form 4473 from the pawn shop. As long as the guns are still with the original purchaser, the guns come home to you.
I know when,where and cost of them. Is there any way to track them?Only if you're willing to report them as stolen to law enforcement and their investigation determines the required elements of an offense exist. A search warrant could then be obtained to examine the shop's records for who they went to.
From the wording of your question this doesn't sound like the route you're taking, but in absence of such a court order no FFL holder is going to supply info to anyone on their buyers.
If it's any help, if it does involve a criminal case you wouldn't have to pay those buyers anything to get them back. Stolen items, even if purchased in good faith, remain the rightful property of the person they were stolen from and no compensation from you could be required. Any money those buyers feel they're due would be a civil issue between them and the shop where their purchase was made.
At least that's how it works in my state.
If you want your specific guns back, you are going to have to try to press criminal charges against your relative who stole them.
But that could be difficult if you don't have a good record showing when you gave them to him it was only for storage. When the police show up to question him based on your report that he stole them, he may claim you gave them to him (for keeps), so you need proof that they were only given for storage. Even with proof, the police/prosecutor might only be willing to pursue some sort of "breach of trust" charges, so the guns might not be recoverable as "stolen property."
If it is primarily the value of the guns you'd like to recover, you might just have a serious talk with your relative, and "threaten" to go to the police if he doesn't come up with the money.
If you really just want your specific guns back, and don't care about prosecuting/punishing your relative -- and your relative is willing to explain to you exactly what he did -- you might be able to buy the guns back. (For a fee, I'm sure the pawn shop would even make an effort to contact whomever they may have sold them too, to see if they can buy them back, but you're probably going to have to be paying a lot of extra money to do that.)
IRRC no one but BATFE can look at info on the 4473's..They can remove them from the FFL's premises , but only after signing a complete inventory of which paper they took...
JIM....................