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I stumbled upon this in the back of a U-Haul truck, at the time I was ignorant and thought it was a pellet gun before I realized it was a little .22 rifle. If I'm not mistaken it was manufactured in 1990. I'm a newbie when it comes to guns but I know it needs to be oiled and cleaned as the rounds don't funny cycle correctly entering the chamber.
What I was wondering was the procedures for this situation, as far as legalities. The chances of a body being on this gun is slim but I want to be sure. I'm in Texas but not a legal resident and will be moving back to Louisiana in 3 months.
I stumbled upon this in the back of a U-Haul truck, at the time I was ignorant and thought it was a pellet gun before I realized it was a little .22 rifle. If I'm not mistaken it was manufactured in 1990. I'm a newbie when it comes to guns but I know it needs to be oiled and cleaned as the rounds don't funny cycle correctly entering the chamber.
What I was wondering was the procedures for this situation, as far as legalities. The chances of a body being on this gun is slim but I want to be sure. I'm in Texas but not a legal resident and will be moving back to Louisiana in 3 months.
Since you got it free, you should check it to make sure it still has a serial number. If it's been altered in any way, unload that SOB right now and don't look back. I'd just leave it where I found it! LOL If it does have a serial number, you can have Police run a check on it to see if it's stolen or not. Since you got it free, you wouldn't be out of anything if it turns up it is ,and it's taken from you. I also have a old 18 shot Marlin Model 60. My Dad bought it new in 1967. The newer ones are 14 shot.
Ok, jokes aside...don't take posession of that firearm if the serial has been altered or ground off, drilled out...whatever. Leave it where you found it and call it in to Police. Being in posession of a altered serial number firearm is a felony in itself. You don't to be walking around with it or have it in your house if it is. Point them in the direction and they will take care of the rest for you. It could have a body attached to it! Either way, it needs to be checked out. If it's been reported lost or stolen, you don't want to be in posession of it either. Unlike finding a quarter or a pocket knife...you don't just keep a firearm you found. They will tell you if you may keep it or not.
It has a SN, I wouldn't have it if it didn't. How do I have police run the numbers?
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In the US
Call your local police/sheriff and ask them to check it for you. They will need the serial number, manufacturer, model, and caliber. This is important, since the same number may have been used by different manufacturers. Some manufacturers may have used the same number ranges for different product lines.
If you are unsure what kind of gun it is, check with a gunsmith or a gun dealer. Do not rely on the police to figure that out; they are law enforcement professionals, not firearms experts.
If the gun has no serial number - due to being produced before this was required - but is unique in some way, police may still have it listed as stolen property, but it's a long shot.
The NCIC (National Crime Information Center) database contains, among other things, information on stolen firearms but it is only accessible by law enforcement. This is likely what the local police will check, along with their own lists of stolen property and evidence.
Be aware that most law enforcement agencies will not give you information over the phone. They would, at the very least, like to know your identity to make sure you are not a thief checking to see if the gun is "hot". In some cases it may be a violation of state law to give out information from criminal history databases.
Should the gun be determined to be stolen, you will most likely have to surrender it to the police. Be prepared to answer lots of questions regarding how and where you bought it. Police have a great deal of interest in people selling stolen property.
If the gun appears to have had a serial number at one time, but it is ground off, or otherwise defaced - get away from the person trying to sell it to you as fast as possible. It is almost guaranteed to be either stolen or used in a crime. Removing serial numbers from a firearm is a Federal crime in itself, and if police discover such a gun in your possession, you have a very real chance of being convicted.
Many stolen guns cannot be identified because the owner didn't know the serial number, didn't report the theft, or it is an older gun without a number.
There are online databases of stolen guns. These rely on voluntary submissions from gun owners and therefore should be used with caution. They may not be up to date and may not be correct.
I'll also add that I misplaced a Beretta 950 Jetfire .25 ACP many years ago. I looked and looked for it, but couldn't find it. After I pretty much gave up, I filed a lost/? stolen report with the PD. The handgun remained lost for about six months. One day while out in my garage, I dropped a screwdriver that slid under an extra vehicle parked in my garage. I bent down on my hands and knees to retrieve it. As soon as I got down on the floor, I spotted my Beretta under my car. The Winter before, when I pulled the starter rope on my snow thrower is when it fell out of my outside jacket pocket and went under the car. Lucky for me, it hit a piece of cardboard slid under to catch any oil or grease droppings from a leaky gasket in the rearend. NO DAMAGE and I even got my gun back! I went down to tell them and had the paperwork cleared and changed that I recovered it! Holy crap, was that luck or what? LOL Guys, don't ever carry a handgun in an outside jacket pocket that doesn't snap or button up. I NEVER did again! I thanked my lucky stars for that one!
As an FFL & gunsmith, I have utilized my local PD to check on a suspicious firearm. The BATFE will not do this for you or I, but they did direct me to my local PD, who do indeed have access to the Federal hot-ID system.
If you do drop it off at the PD, they will check it out and should return it to you as "found property" if it checks out OK. One problem with returning it to where you found it (a bit hard to do in a U-Haul truck you have probably since returned, I'll admit...) it would then possibly have your prints on it, and if it was used in the commission of a crime, hold onto your freedoms!
So,IMHO, if you have handled it, then take it down to the PD and explain how, when, where you found it, and that you've since gotten some good advice on what to do with it, and if possible, give them the rental contract to ID the U-Haul's possible previous renter.
BTW, these Glenfields were cheaply spec'd out Marlins, either autos or lever guns, and had cheaper quality wood and finishes. They were made for Sears-Roebuck, J.C. Penny, etc., They are not valuable, and were often pretty abused. Broken parts are available through e-gunparts.com (Numrich Arms) with their searchable database, since these used standard Marlin innards.
Good luck! (Too bad it wasn't a Parker side by side 28 gauge with presentation grade wood and engraving... <sigh>)
As an FFL & gunsmith, I have utilized my local PD to check on a suspicious firearm. The BATFE will not do this for you or I, but they did direct me to my local PD, who do indeed have access to the Federal hot-ID system.
If you do drop it off at the PD, they will check it out and should return it to you as "found property" if it checks out OK. One problem with returning it to where you found it (a bit hard to do in a U-Haul truck you have probably since returned, I'll admit...) it would then possibly have your prints on it, and if it was used in the commission of a crime, hold onto your freedoms!
So,IMHO, if you have handled it, then take it down to the PD and explain how, when, where you found it, and that you've since gotten some good advice on what to do with it, and if possible, give them the rental contract to ID the U-Haul's possible previous renter.
BTW, these Glenfields were cheaply spec'd out Marlins, either autos or lever guns, and had cheaper quality wood and finishes. They were made for Sears-Roebuck, J.C. Penny, etc., They are not valuable, and were often pretty abused. Broken parts are available through e-gunparts.com (Numrich Arms) with their searchable database, since these used standard Marlin innards.
Good luck! (Too bad it wasn't a Parker side by side 28 gauge with presentation grade wood and engraving... <sigh>)
Well I work at U-Haul, don't remember the truck I found it in and I don't remember the date since I thought it was a pellet gun. I can imagine them "losing" the gun for finding some bogus reason to keep it from me, even though the gun isn't worth much I'd still rather have it if it's clean.
I stumbled upon this in the back of a U-Haul truck, at the time I was ignorant and thought it was a pellet gun before I realized it was a little .22 rifle. If I'm not mistaken it was manufactured in 1990. I'm a newbie when it comes to guns but I know it needs to be oiled and cleaned as the rounds don't funny cycle correctly entering the chamber.
What I was wondering was the procedures for this situation, as far as legalities. The chances of a body being on this gun is slim but I want to be sure. I'm in Texas but not a legal resident and will be moving back to Louisiana in 3 months.
Glenfield was another marketing name for Marlin. I do not believe the Glenfield name was still being used in 1990. I have a 1978 version of the same gun.
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If it does have a serial number, you can have Police run a check on it to see if it's stolen or not. Since you got it free, you wouldn't be out of anything if it turns up it is ,and it's taken from you. I also have a old 18 shot Marlin Model 60. My Dad bought it new in 1967. The newer ones are 14 shot.
Either way, it needs to be checked out. If it's been reported lost or stolen, you don't want to be in posession of it either. Unlike finding a quarter or a pocket knife...you don't just keep a firearm you found. They will tell you if you may keep it or not.
