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I have a raven arms mp-25 that I would like to legitimately get rid of. I'm unsure of the pistol's history, and would just as soon have it out of the house - I got it from my grandfather who found it while fishing.
It doesn't work, so...

any thoughts/suggestions?
would turning it in to the police do the trick?
(I'm rather worried about this in case it's been used for something bad - Charles, any advice?)
thanks, in advance

I wouldn't want a non-working Raven junker, either . . . sounds like a prime candidate for one of those "no questions asked" gun buyback programs they keep running up in Yankee cities.

As to turning it in here in Texas, a lot depends on the police in your jurisdiction, and how they view these things . . . they may just say "Thanks" and that will be the end of it. Other places, they may have some questions for you . . .

* How long have you had it?

* Why didn't you turn it in immediately?

* How long did your grandfather have it?

* Can you PROVE you got it from your grandfather?

* How long did you know he had a gun he'd found?

* Where and when, exactly, did he find it?

* Again, why didn't you come to us immediately?

* Are you aware that failure to turn it in immediately may constitute obstructing justice?

* We need to see you driver's license, proof of address, Social Security number, and here, give us your thumbprint, too . . .

Again, a lot depends on the jurisdiction you're in, the history of the pistol, etc. Some people might just put it in a box and drop it off at the police station, after wiping all their fingerprints off. Some other people would just melt it down or saw it into little pieces, rather than potentially incriminate themselves . . . but then, if it WAS a crime gun, that might be tampering with evidence.

I have been told that if you cut the receiver through the serial number with a welding torch, it will no longer be a firearm, and you can dump it. However, I can't verify that on the BATFE web site. (Kevin Craig knows all this stuff. ) It's also difficult if you don't happen to own a welding torch.

I'd be strongly tempted to leave it in a bucket of salt water until it was an unrecognizable mass of rust.

- Jim

HankB wrote:I wouldn't want a non-working Raven junker, either . . . sounds like a prime candidate for one of those "no questions asked" gun buyback programs they keep running up in Yankee cities.

As to turning it in here in Texas, a lot depends on the police in your jurisdiction, and how they view these things . . . they may just say "Thanks" and that will be the end of it. Other places, they may have some questions for you . . .

* How long have you had it?

* Why didn't you turn it in immediately?

* How long did your grandfather have it?

* Can you PROVE you got it from your grandfather?

* How long did you know he had a gun he'd found?

* Where and when, exactly, did he find it?

* Again, why didn't you come to us immediately?

* Are you aware that failure to turn it in immediately may constitute obstructing justice?

* We need to see you driver's license, proof of address, Social Security number, and here, give us your thumbprint, too . . .

Again, a lot depends on the jurisdiction you're in, the history of the pistol, etc. Some people might just put it in a box and drop it off at the police station, after wiping all their fingerprints off. Some other people would just melt it down or saw it into little pieces, rather than potentially incriminate themselves . . . but then, if it WAS a crime gun, that might be tampering with evidence.

I was not aware of an "obstructing justice" charge in Texas. Can you point me to that, I'd like to familiarize myself with it.

Also, I am unaware of any legal requirement to turn in a gun my Grandfather gave me. Can you also point that out to me?

The most the police would do is run the serial to see if the gun is in a stolen database. If so, there would then be questions, but not in the tone you describe.

But then, I don't think the government is out to get me.

Seburiel,

I would be willing to take it off your hands, and hang it my cave wall. I collect strange stuff (wife calls it junk), and this would be a good conversation piece to show friends and family what not to get.
Where abouts you at? Might be able to meet up.

Dan

txinvestigator wrote: The most the police would do is run the serial to see if the gun is in a stolen database. If so, there would then be questions, but not in the tone you describe.

Maybe you're right, even for people without LEO credentials.

HankB wrote:I wouldn't want a non-working Raven junker, either . . . sounds like a prime candidate for one of those "no questions asked" gun buyback programs they keep running up in Yankee cities.

HankB,

"Yankee cities" like Durham, NC where my daughter turned in a non-functional RG-25 for $100 at a police "buy-back"?
Or did you have some other "yankee cities" in mind?
Just curious if this was solely a Yankee thing, or if it may have permeated the South.

Kind Regards,

Tom

The only question I would have about a found gun is "Is it a gun that was used in a crime?"

If I could not answer that with an absolute negative I might just turn it in to the police as found property, and if they ask, tell them where and when it was found and its history since then.

"My grandpappy found this old junker when he was fishing on the Frio and gave it to me because he didn't know what else to do with it. Here Y'all are."

Just in case they get testy, like HankB suggests some might, I might be ready to tell them to refer further questions to my attorney.

thanks for the replies, all. I appreciate the consistently excellent advice those on this forum give.
I don't have anything to fear from, or hide from, law enforcement. That being said, I wouldn't want them to accept this pistol, and, 6 months from now, come a-knockin' at my door looking for me for having turned in a *hot* pistol, so, yes, that does, indeed make me nervous.

Take it apart all in pieces and sell it off on e-bay all but the receiver toss that in the trash to be dumped in a land fill.

seamusTX wrote:I'd be strongly tempted to leave it in a bucket of salt water until it was an unrecognizable mass of rust.

Clorox is faster.

Make sure you have someone get a picture of you selling it for $50-100 at the next buyback you find, too...after the Clorox treatment, of course.

How about some vice grips and a good bench grinder....just sweep up when you are finished

A Raven .25? I'd shoot it...














A Hornady 150 grain .30-cal softpoint at 2800 fps oughta do the trick.

"grandfather who found it while fishing"

It would make a good trotline weight ...

Buddy of mine lost a Ruger Mk.II .22 while fishing in the Illinois Bayou, in Arkansas. At the time, he wasn't sure if he lost it, or if it had been stolen... he just knew that after a long hunting/camping/fishing/float trip, he couldn't find the pistol.

So, he called the gun and pawn shops in the area, including the shop from which he'd purchased the pistol new, and told them to be on the lookout in case it was found or someone tried to pawn or sell it.

Fast forward about two years...

...He gets a call out of the blue from a sheriff's investigator, telling him they'd recovered this pistol from the Illinois Bayou, and a check with the local gun shops revealed that he was the purchaser of this particular pistol, and could he explain how it came to be dumped in the river?

"Ummm, well, I lost that pistol."

"Do you have any witnesses who saw you 'lose' it?"

"No, but I called the local gun shops and told them to be on the lookout for it!"

"We've already spoken with the local dealers, and none of them remember speaking with you. And what's more, we've already confirmed through ballistics that this pistol was used in an unsolved homicide about two years ago. We're going to need you to come down to the station so we can account for your whereabouts during that time frame."

At this point, my friend was seriously freaking out. And then, during the investigator's long pauses, he started detecting... something. Something that sounded a lot like muffled laughter.

Finally, the story fell apart. The "investigator" was a friend of the dealer who had sold him the pistol. A friend who had been on that fishing trip had stumbled across it, and set him up for a prank.

He had it refinished. When I commented on the pretty deep pitting in a fairly new pistol, he confessed the story.