Allegheny County Police Issue - Handgun was taken...

[headcase]

Guns that are involved in shootings get sent to the lab. The labs are backed up and the people in them are usually working 10 hours a day to try and stay on top of it.

You and your roommate say that is the gun that shot him. Maybe he was shot during a hold-up of a gas station somewhere. I'm not suggesting that is what occurred but it is something that has to be ruled out.

The pistol will be test fired and the bullet will be put into a national database to determine if it had been fired during a crime. The bullet will also be matched to the one from his leg.

I don't think your pistol should be defaced, I'm not aware of that aspect of the testing process. If it is done, I would hope it is done where it won't be seen.

The best I can tell you to do is keep checking back every month or so. Make sure it doesn't get lost in the system. It does suck but at least no one is getting arrested or going to jail. Look at Plaxico Burress. An ND from his pistol into his leg and he goes to jail for two years.

Why are guns that are involved in shootings taken away? I would imagine that guns involved in a crime would be subject to being taken away. The people now in possession of his firearm are testing it to see if it was involved in any crimes?? How does that jive with being free in your possessions and papers?

I am sure we all appreciate the inside knowledge of what is happening, my concern is why it is happening in the first place and why you feel that there should be some sense of relief that they only took his gun away and didn't arrest or lock him up..

That's a pretty poor comparison. He's going to jail for illegal possession, not because he shot himself. All the ND did was make his possession apparent to the LE community.

Exactly.

[Azzy]

As a side.. does anyone have experiance with a firarm that had been engraved and registered into a database, so we can see what that stamp or engraving looks like and may be located?

What would that do to your outlook of the value of that gun? I would not want to have to use that in a self defense situation because it already has a "negative" paper trail that could not favor you in your just defense usage.

(Not a lawyer, just a speculator)

[LittleRedToyota]

And your assertion about no such thing as an accidental discharge is patently false.

i agree. i have also witnessed a true AD. an AK fired a round without the trigger being pressed when the safety lever was moved (the lever moved past the stop point--which should not have even been possible except for a manufacturing defect--and, apparently if that happens on an AK, they can fire without the trigger moving).

fortunately, the person handling the AK was also safety conscious enough to always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and no harm was done--except to a recliner that used to inhabit the PMSC shoot house.

on the other hand, i agree that many times NDs are incorrectly labeled ADs. but still, to say there is no such thing at all as an AD is also incorrect.

[arjohnson]

please read the bold under lined section and send it to the police that have your firearm.

18 Pa.C.S. § 6105:
(f) Other exemptions and proceedings.--
(4)(i) The owner of any seized or confiscated firearms or of any firearms ordered relinquished under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6108 shall be provided with a signed and dated written receipt by the appropriate law enforcement agency. This receipt shall include, but not limited to, a detailed identifying description indicating the serial number and condition of the firearm. In addition, the appropriate law enforcement agency shall be liable to the lawful owner of said confiscated, seized or relinquished firearm for any loss, damage or substantial decrease in value of said firearm that is a direct result of a lack of reasonable care by the appropriate law enforcement agency.
(ii) Firearms shall not be engraved or permanently marked in any manner, including, but not limited to, engraving of evidence or other identification numbers. Unless reasonable suspicion exists to believe that a particular firearm has been used in the commission of a crime, no firearm shall be test fired. Any reduction in the value of a firearm due to test firing, engraving or permanently marking in violation of this paragraph shall be considered damage, and the law enforcement agency shall be liable to the lawful owner of the firearm for the reduction in value caused by the test firing, engraving or permanently marking.
(iii) For purposes of this paragraph, the term "firearm" shall include any scope, sight, bipod, sling, light, magazine, clip, ammunition or other firearm accessory attached to or seized, confiscated or relinquished with a firearm.

I can tell you from experiance that if the police send your gun to the crime lab, which they will if they take it, it will come back with an engraving on the barrel, this is a fact.

I had one taken from me by the police when in an altercation years ago, gun was no part of the altercation but it was taken cause I was carrying it, my LTCF was not taken. I had to have a court order to get it back, which the judge issued at the conclusion of the hearing about a week later, when I went to get it it was sent to the crime lab for ballistic testing, standard procedure he said. I told the officer that it was BS and I hope my gun comes back unmarked, he told me it won't be marked cause we are not allowed to mark them. So about 3 days later my gun comes in and I go and pick it up, and guess what, it had a tiny little serial number marked on the barrel, needless to say I was pissed.

ETA also, I had 12 rnds in the mag when it was taken and when I received it back there were only 10rnds

[DBZ220]

Here's a pic of mine. I tried to take a couple better pics but this is the best I could get, yep, the pic sucks, but if you look close, you can faintly make out a 6 digit case number scribed on the barrel just above the ejection port. Looks like it was done freehand with an electric pencil type device. This number also appears on the magazine that went with the weapon, and on the slide as well. It was hard to capture in the pic, I had to polish the heck out of my barrel to get the layer of rust off it and in the process I lessened the prominance of the inscribed number. I have seen other weapons similarly engraved, not always in the same places, some in neater script than mine too. The finish on the extractor was also beat to hell when I got it back, wasn't like that when it went in....

EDIT: ARJohnson, I had 5rnds of 230grn in my confiscated mag out of 7. I got ZERO ammo returned..I guess they used my remaining ammo for the testing.

[arjohnson]

Here's a pic of mine. I tried to take a couple better pics but this is the best I could get, yep, the pic sucks, but if you look close, you can faintly make out a 6 digit case number scribed on the barrel just above the ejection port. Looks like it was done freehand with an electric pencil type device. This number also appears on the magazine that went with the weapon, and on the slide as well. It was hard to capture in the pic, I had to polish the heck out of my barrel to get the layer of rust off it and in the process I lessened the prominance of the inscribed number. I have seen other weapons similarly engraved, not always in the same places, some in neater script than mine too. The finish on the extractor was also beat to hell when I got it back, wasn't like that when it went in....

EDIT: ARJohnson, I had 5rnds of 230grn in my confiscated mag out of 7. I got ZERO ammo returned..I guess they used my remaining ammo for the testing.

Yep, just like mine was, but it was only done on the barrel. Needless to say I sold a 700.00 1993 German made Sig 229 for 350.00 because of what they did. I contacted my attorney at the time and he basicly told me it would cost alot more than the gun was worth to pursue the issue. I just wish money was no object cause I would have went after them for damage to my firearm just to make a point.

[unclejumbo]

Why are guns that are involved in shootings taken away? I would imagine that guns involved in a crime would be subject to being taken away. The people now in possession of his firearm are testing it to see if it was involved in any crimes?? How does that jive with being free in your possessions and papers?

I am sure we all appreciate the inside knowledge of what is happening, my concern is why it is happening in the first place and why you feel that there should be some sense of relief that they only took his gun away and didn't arrest or lock him up..

Exactly.

My point on Burress was that he got he a raw deal. Simply possessing the gun cost him two years thanks to New York's ridiculous laws.

As for taking the gun, shootings are going to be investigated more thoroughly than any other injury. Hospitals must report all GSWs to law enforcement, not knife, or chainsaw or 2x4 injuries.

There is a mindset that incidents involving firearms are criminal. Procedures are written with that mindset. For awhile, any gun we took in was to be sent to the lab for testing. I had a fatal crash and the man had a handgun. It was to go to the lab for testing if I entered it into our property room. Fortunately, the family arrived to claim it before it was put into property. Lose your rifle off the roof of your car...gone for months while it sat at the lab. Finally, they were so overwhelmed, the policy changed to only guns involved in crime.

I'm just trying to let the OP know what is going on and why the gun would have been taken. Just because we are told something happened a certain way doesn't mean it did. For all the police know, it was an aggravated assault perpetrated by the OP or the robbery scenario I mentioned.

Turning it around a bit, if you shot the bad guy that threatened your family, would you want the police to accept his statement, "I was cleaning my Glock here and shot myself in the leg" when he is interviewed? Sure would be some explaining to do if the bullet from his leg wasn't fired from his Glock.

[lilpup]

Let me clarify a few things...

1. I am not a guy. I am female. (just mentioning since you guys kept referring to me as His and Him).

2. My roommate is on the lease. So the police cant say he was illegally there.

3. The police took his story and my story SEPARATELY. They took mine at the scene and his at the ER. Both stories matched.

4. Police on scene even said that they understand what happened and that no charges were going to be filed.

5. My roommate was cleaning my handgun and put it back together (and he even admitted he wasnt paying attention) and then somehow he discharged a round.

6. The angle of the entry and exit wound would of been nearly impossible for me or anyone else to accomplish. Also, I examined the wound and controlled the bleeding while waiting for our department to arrive to transport him. I am an EMT. The entry wound was on the inner calf and shattered the fibula and exited (downward) out of the outter calf.

7. The AC Police turned my living room upside down looking for the round and shell casing (which was right beside the chair) and when --I-- found it, they didn't want it.

[TinGLOCK]

Let me clarify a few things...

I'm with the others who have already said this:

You're probably better off giving these details to a lawyer or describing them in a letter to the department that confiscated your sidearm.

[weavagra]

I think I would buy a new barrel and cut the other one up with a torch and dispose of it in a proper manor if I was you. Ok when I got it back anyway.