Data base for lost or stolen firearms
I asked this of a PSP trooper and he said there is no list he knows of, but I find it hard to believe there is no data base of reported lost or stolen firearms to compare against if they come across a suspicious weapon or recover one.
The reason I ask is s simple one. If you lose a firearm and after a certain period of time it is not found, if it is found by someone and they do not report it, wouldn't or couldn't it then be considered stolen? After all, it does not belong to the person that found it, they did not report finding it so in essence they have stolen it.
Now say that person gets pulled over for a traffic stop and they run the gun against that "Non-existent data base", shouldn't they contact the owner of the weapon, or if not and it is put into storage shouldn't a person be able to call and find out if a certain firearm has been recovered or not?
We always hear there are not data bases, but they have the information when one is reported missing or stolen, do they just keep them for themselves when they recover them? Is there a central data bank a person can call when looking for information on their missing or stolen firearm? Or does this entire post not make sense?
Just curious,
Pooch15825
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
Your PSP Trooper hasn't heard of the NCIC?
Regards,
Walt
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
I was under the assumption that the NCIC was more of a background on individuals, not on stolen or lost firearms. The Trooper I asked was sitting in the parking lot of a store and I walked over and asked him, he was leaving when I stopped him so maybe he just was too busy to talk, or maybe he didn't feel he needed to answer me, who knows. Just told me there was no such data base. If that were true, why are they calling in and checking serial numbers for on a firearm to see if it is stolen?
If a person loses or has a firearm stolen, how many times are the firearms recovered and either destroyed, or someone that has access decides to keep them. I know of a PSP Trooper that years ago kept some items from a busted keg party full of minors. One thing was the tap from the keg, I was a guest of a friend of his at his house and the tap on his keg system still had the engraved name of the distributor that had sold the beer for the party. This trooper was one of the officer that made the arrests and confiscated evidence. The owner of the distributorship never got his tap back. I am sure there are other things that never make it back to their owners.
Also, I have read stories where firearms that police recover from crime scenes and such are destroyed as a matter of everyday business. So if you have lost or had stolen a firearm, where do you go and whom do you call to see if it has been recovered so you can get it back, it seems like they don't bother trying to find the owners to return said items.
I don't believe the NCIC is going to help you there, that is to see if you are eligible to purchase a firearm, it is a background check on you, not your firearms.
Pooch15825
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
NCIC has data on wanted people , stolen cars , guns etc
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
florida has a stolen gun site, were you can run the numbers to see if it has been listed IN FLORIDA.
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pooch15825
I don't believe the NCIC is going to help you there, that is to see if you are eligible to purchase a firearm, it is a background check on you, not your firearms.
Pooch15825
Ummm NCIC is used for a lot more stuff then checking on firearm eligiblity. We can run checks on many things: guns, TVs, computers, boats, planes, cars, people, bonds, travelers checks, and so on.
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
Quote:
Originally Posted by
chrisjames_71
Ummm NCIC is used for a lot more stuff then checking on firearm eligiblity. We can run checks on many things: guns, TVs, computers, boats, planes, cars, people, bonds, travelers checks, and so on.
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm
I think some people may be confusing NCIC with NICS.
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pooch15825
I asked this of a PSP trooper and he said there is no list he knows of, but I find it hard to believe there is no data base of reported lost or stolen firearms to compare against if they come across a suspicious weapon or recover one.
There is. NCIC
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pooch15825
The reason I ask is s simple one. If you lose a firearm and after a certain period of time it is not found, if it is found by someone and they do not report it, wouldn't or couldn't it then be considered stolen? After all, it does not belong to the person that found it, they did not report finding it so in essence they have stolen it.
Not the way it works w/in Pa. law.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pooch15825
Now say that person gets pulled over for a traffic stop and they run the gun against that "Non-existent data base", shouldn't they contact the owner of the weapon, or if not and it is put into storage shouldn't a person be able to call and find out if a certain firearm has been recovered or not?
There is no ownership registry in Pa. Period.
Running firearm serial number through the PSP database of sales that have had an SP4-127 form filled out means absolutely NOTHING to the trooper on the street. It is NOT an ownership database or "registry".
It is a tool to aid police in investigation of guns use in crimes or guns they have PC are stolen.
As a side note, if a trooper runs your ser# through the PSP database of SP4-127 forms, he has broken the law by conducting n illegal search unless he has PC that the firearm was stolen.
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bdevil73
I think some people may be confusing NCIC with NICS.
Yeah thats kinda what I was thinking as well...but its late and my brain is totally fried from the weekend :)
Re: Data base for lost or stolen firearms
A firearm or any other item or person can be entered into the "system" (NCIC) and will remain there until taken out by the department that put it there.
Periodically a department is sent a "validation" request in which they must verify the item is still stolen, the person is still wanted, etc.