Re: another string; provenance of stolen guns

2571 · Post by **2571** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:47 am

Didn't want to steal another string.

Guy suggests that some mountain man fugitive finally got locked up, generating even more publicity. Several stolen guns recovered from his caches/safe house cabin.

I assume guns are returned to their rightful owners.

Do these gun increase in value because of their history of association with the fugitive?

Post by **Hobie** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:19 am

Depends. Depends on who owned them. Depends on who stole them. Depends on condition. Depends on model rarity. Depends on who's buying.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:38 am

What Hobie said.

I met a guy who had a Thompson .45 owned (dunno if he stole it or just bought it) by John Dillinger; I think it fetched a BIG price.

OTOH if you have a 50-year-old bolt-action 22 some crack-head swiped in a burglary, I doubt it would be worth much.

Mac in Mo · Post by **Mac in Mo** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:34 pm

I don't see why they would. If you're referring to the guy that I think you are, he is just some lowlife burglar, who happens to live in the woods instead of the city. Now I hope he is residing in the holdover.

Kevin

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 12:03 pm

I am not sure the original owners actually get them back! I have heard horror stories about this...the cops keep them for evidence, then the insurance company that initially paid you for them asks that they be destroyed.

KCSO · Post by **KCSO** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:30 am

Returning stolen property...

First all evidence recovered MUST by law be held until the appeal period for a convicts crime is finished OR until such time as the County Attroney decides there will never be any prosecution. Appeals in NE on a felony is 6 months after conviction. I have seen a C/A hold a case till a fellow got out of prison on a previous 2 YEAR sentence.

Evidence must be held in the condition it was recovered, blood, dirt and all. Nuff Said.

If an insurance company has a letter on file all evidence released goes to the INSURANCE company or is destroyed at their request and proof of destruction is forwarded. Destroyed is melted down or cut up, period.

If the case is a capitol crime all evidence is held until the death of the Convict. I have evidence in storage from a murder 30 years ago.

Finally if there is no insurance hold sometime between a year and 3 years the evidence is returned to the owner as it was recovered.
I returned a Marlin Cowboy 45 colt one time that was recovered in a cave buried in the sand. The gun was retured withiin 8 months and was covered with sand rust and a little blood. The gun was unfired when stolen. Guess how happy the owner was when he got it back.

Suicide guns are the worst and often the relatives don't want them back. When they are returned the top 3" of the barrels usually are rusted off from the blood.

Mostly I have never seen anyone happy with what they eventuallly get back, imagaine what your gun would look like if it were found outside under a tree and held without cleaning for a year.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:08 am

I received a Ruger Blackhawk back about 18 years after the burgalry; it was trashed. Although the department that recovered it also recovered a case of .357Mag ammo... it wasn't part of my loss, but... they pretty much INSISTED that I take it.

I traded the gun off, both front and rear sights looked as tho' they'd been drug down a gravel road for about a 1,000 miles... nubs were all that was left, very little finish on the rest of the gun... and not the honest wear kind... it was from being beat up and thrown in the dirt, rocks or something.

Traded for it for a 336 in .30-30, which I gave to my dad, who traded for it for a Ruger 10-22... which Mom insisted I take after he passed. So... some 38 or 39 years after I bought my Ruger, I got another'n back!

And since I don't shoot much .357 Mag ammo... I still have about ½ of that case left!

What KCSO said.