Gun fround by playground, loaded (in WA)

[Franky4Fingers]

So a friend of mine and her daughter were at the playground in the Seattle metro area and the little girl finds a loaded Sig P228 in the grass. She runs and tells her mom, the mom takes a few pics, then she calls the police and they come take it.

Most people praised her saying she did the right thing, even though I teased her and said she should have kept it, I revealed that I would have turned it in as well. There were even a small percentage that said she should have sold it. That screams bad idea all over the place.

But curious.....as far as I know, WA has no handgun registration. If you find a gun like, could you just keep it? (either in WA or PA)

[bac0nfat]

In PA you have to make a reasonable attempt to find the owner of lost valuables. In this case, that would mean contacting the police.

ETA:

§ 3924. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by
mistake.
A person who comes into control of property of another that
he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a
mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the
identity of the recipient is guilty of theft if, with intent to
deprive the owner thereof, he fails to take reasonable measures
to restore the property to a person entitled to have it.

[internet troll]

So a friend of mine and her daughter were at the playground in the Seattle metro area and the little girl finds a loaded Sig P228 in the grass. She runs and tells her mom, the mom takes a few pics, then she calls the police and they come take it.

Most people praised her saying she did the right thing, even though I teased her and said she should have kept it, I revealed that I would have turned it in as well. There were even a small percentage that said she should have sold it. That screams bad idea all over the place.

But curious.....as far as I know, WA has no handgun registration. If you find a gun like, could you just keep it? (either in WA or PA)

Don't know, but if I find a gun just lying around in the grass, I'm thinking maybe it was used in a crime and tossed. Having no idea of the story behind it, it's not something I want to be a part of.

[knight0334]

So a friend of mine and her daughter were at the playground in the Seattle metro area and the little girl finds a loaded Sig P228 in the grass. She runs and tells her mom, the mom takes a few pics, then she calls the police and they come take it.

Most people praised her saying she did the right thing, even though I teased her and said she should have kept it, I revealed that I would have turned it in as well. There were even a small percentage that said she should have sold it. That screams bad idea all over the place.

But curious.....as far as I know, WA has no handgun registration. If you find a gun like, could you just keep it? (either in WA or PA)

Finders-keepers generally only applies to maritime discoveries that weren't military or wartime ships.

With exception of a few situations, nearly all finds on land have a requirement to return it to the lawful owner if he/she can be found. It is possible to file a claim on found property, which often requires placing advertisements in commonly used media, waiting out a certain number of days, and dealing with folks claiming to own the property.

[QuackXP]

Anything I have found I make an attempt to find the owner or turn it in to a lost and found. But if its something I suspect could have been used in a crime like a firearm I would probably leave it alone and call the police.

Keys, phone, wallet (all are thing I have found) those I will just return or hand over to the management of where I found it if applicable.

[streaker69]

Maybe it was a cop's gun? I hear WA police are in the habit of just leaving firearms laying around.

[dartagnan]

So a friend of mine and her daughter were at the playground in the Seattle metro area and the little girl finds a loaded Sig P228 in the grass. She runs and tells her mom, the mom takes a few pics, then she calls the police and they come take it.

Most people praised her saying she did the right thing, even though I teased her and said she should have kept it, I revealed that I would have turned it in as well. There were even a small percentage that said she should have sold it. That screams bad idea all over the place.

But curious.....as far as I know, WA has no handgun registration. If you find a gun like, could you just keep it? (either in WA or PA)

I wouldn't keep a gun I found. You don't know what it's history is. Wad it stolen, used in a crime? If yes, or it is an illegal firearm for that location, you don't want LEOs finding it in your possession.

[dartagnan]

Maybe it was a cop's gun? I hear WA police are in the habit of just leaving firearms laying around.

I would not want to be sitting in that van.

[JayBell]

aside from all the other "reasons" listed here for not just keeping it, "guns history" etc etc.. what the HELL happened to honest people anymore?

your ONLY reason to not keep the gun is HONESTY. It doesn't belong to you, the lack of character displayed in topics like this is kind of astounding.

[bac0nfat]

aside from all the other "reasons" listed here for not just keeping it, "guns history" etc etc.. what the HELL happened to honest people anymore?

your ONLY reason to not keep the gun is HONESTY. It doesn't belong to you, the lack of character displayed in topics like this is kind of astounding.

True. We get so caught up in the law sometimes, we overlook simply "doing the right thing," just for the sake of it. It's sad that our FIRST reaction has to be "what does the law want me to do?" instead of "what is the right thing to do?" Which is exactly how politicians want us to think. + Rep to you.