lost or stolen guns

[flechero]

OK, long story short, I am "missing" my .380 I can't say with 100% certainty that it was stolen but I think it was. We just moved and there were a bunch of people in the house the week prior when I was not there. (inspectors, repairmen, contractors, etc.) The day of the move was chaos and I did not pack the guns personally but my brother did so I don't worry about him stealing it. I suppose there is a small chance it was lost in the move.

So when I report it "missing" do they differentiate between lost and stolen and if it were to miraculously reappear, can I report it found and go about my merry way? I have little hope of finding it but am curious how it would be handled.

Thanks for any input.

[srothstein]

If you call the police and report it to them as missing, they will enter it into NCIC with the case number. You can tell them what you posted and they will write the report showing that it could be lost or stolen. If it gets recovered later, it gets returned tot he owner.

If you find it, you just call the police back and let them know. They cancel the entry in NCIC and you go on your merry way.

[A-R]

Steve, is there any danger to OP in reporting it as "missing"? For instance, let's say it turns up and a child has it or worse a criminal has it. Could OP be in trouble for some sort of negligence, especially from Federal law ... thinking of that little "keep guns away from children" pamphlet FFLs are required to hand out with gun purchases. Seems there is also a Texas law about this too?

[srothstein]

Liability is why I would report it. The report will have the circumstances so it would prove no intent to allow a child or criminal get in contact with the gun. He might be okay without the report since the agency charging him would have to prove the case, but this way he has some evidence that he is not guilty. In addition, if the gun was stolen, this gives him a very small chance of getting it back.

[jecsd1]

I agree. In this instance a paper trail is a good idea

[03Lightningrocks]

Don't be surprised if the police "interview" anyone that was in the home at the time of the disappearance. The reason I say this is that one of my long time service techs was in a home when a brand new in the box, computer disappeared. there were also several others in the house around the same time... not mine but other folks. All got "interviewed". Thank goodness we spend money to do criminal background checks on our people. i would have hated to find out I had a guy with a record for theft at a time like that. It would always make me wonder. in this case, I have known this man for 7 years and have no doubt he is not who got the computer.

Anyway... the police said it was SOP to do "interviews" with all in home at time of disappearance... even family members. They have seen all kinds of things... even insurance fraud. So you will be "interviewed" as well.

Just the same... I would no doubt report the incident. Especially with a firearm involved.

[flechero]

Thanks for the replies. Steve was exactly right- Here is how our local PD handled it:

Unless you are certain it is stolen, it is considered "missing." As I can't prove it either way, they opted to file the report as missing. It's less paper and hassle for them from what I understood. It will still be flagged should the serial number ever be checked (ie: sale, pawn, etc.) And God forbid it's ever used in a crime, I would not be liable- in that instance, missing and stolen are the same. He said if it ever does turn up, I can report it found and they cancel the report and make the necessary changes to the ncic/tics (?) system.