Last Wednesday I went to Ben Avery Range with a Phoenix area friend of mine.
While we were there an interesting incident has caused me to write this thread.
First, for those who don't know, or who might have forgotten, I have mentioned in the past my home was burglarized about ten years ago, or so, and several of my guns were stolen.
For the longest time I kept a copy of the police report (containing descriptions of the weapons as well as serial numbers) in my wallet because I would purposely go in pawn shops, gun stores, newspaper advertised yard sales mentioning guns, etc., looking for my stolen weapons.
So here is the scenerio and the follow-up question:
You are at a local range and you notice a group of four young gang banger types talking loudly in a foreign "south of the border" language. This is what caught your initial attention.
You also alert to the fact they are loud ( a no-no at any range, in my book) but you also see them grab azzing.
You walk there way just...well, just because! And the fact the range safety officers were walking that way and you thought they might need some assistance.
THEN you see a semi-auto rifle that you could swear looked exactly like the one you had stolen.
Let's say that several certain characteristics about the gun gave you that idea: the stock was a specially rare stock that you had modified in a way that likely no one else would have, the scope had a ding on the left side right where you dinged yours in a moment of idiocy when you knocked it off the work table, it had a 1/2 green and 1/2 red plastic replacement front sight like yours, the stock even had a homemade leather cheek piece that looks EXACTLY like the one you made for it, but most importantly you had a gut feeling it was the same rifle stolen from you.
Let's say you still, after all these years, have that police report in your wallet.
You know that a confrontation with four armed individuals, where ever it might happen, is not the choice of actions.
You are positive, in your own mind, at least, that the rifle you saw is your stolen rifle. But...you might be wrong!
What do you do?
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"It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me
Thats a tough one. Alone against them I would have made sure I wrote down descriptions of their persons as well as the firearms they had at the time and license plate numbers. I know the feeling of outrage, but to be sure, they may have bought the firearm from a private sale thinking it was legal. They may have been young punk types, but I was considered a young punk at their age by my elders. still am too. Where there other folks that might have been injured if a firefight broke out that were not involved? Discretion being the better part of valor and the fact you are making this thread tells me things worked out. I hope to your advantage.
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"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Benjamin Franklin
Dale, fall back on all that old Army training. Apollyon has it right. Gather all intell possible & turn it over to those who's profesion it is to investigate.
Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
Posts: 3,788
You did the right thing. Confronting them would have only have produced a news story (shootout at the range or some such thing) for the Brady people to use againist us. While it may not be probable it is possible that they were not the same ones who actually took your weapons.
Aplollyon's got it right, and you used your head in how you handled the situation. i gotta say, that is a spooky situation your in. if they are your babies, i think they wanna come home.
Hmm, my thought would be to tell the range officer of the situation, and ask him to check the SNs of that rifle against the police report. If it's a different number, then that clears that up. If it is the same number, use a cel phone to call the appropriate PD. If these people bought it innocently, still they know something relevent to an investigation of firearm theft.
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Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
In this case I have to go with G3,ask the range officer if he is comfortable comparing the numbers,if he is not then you did what you could,and I wish you luck.:lucky:
Well, I don't know what kind of range you all have(I mean more along the lines of how crowded and how friendly people are their). The first thing I would have done was pulled out the paper and looked at the last few digits on the serial# for that gun. Then I would have walked up to them and acted like I really liked it and asked if I could see it. If the #'s matched I would have said nice gun, walked away and called the cops. Unless your 100% sure I wouldn't call the cops. For one if your not sure and it turns out to be wrong, what happens if the guys figure out you called....
If they legally owned the gun, there's less chance they'd be the violent type to seek retribution for a quick inspection by police at the range. Of course one could explain the whole situation to the police and listen to their instructions.
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Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
Well, I don't know what kind of range you all have(I mean more along the lines of how crowded and how friendly people are their). The first thing I would have done was pulled out the paper and looked at the last few digits on the serial# for that gun. Then I would have walked up to them and acted like I really liked it and asked if I could see it. If the #'s matched I would have said nice gun, walked away and called the cops. Unless your 100% sure I wouldn't call the cops. For one if your not sure and it turns out to be wrong, what happens if the guys figure out you called....
Also, if you see that it is your gun, ask where they bought it, and if they say a private owner you know they probably arent the criminals, but if they say perhaps the Wal Mart you know that they may be the ones who robbed you...but if they are the type that burglarize, then they are probably not honest anyways
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Semper Fi
Last edited by FutureMarine; 07-10-2006 at 03:27 PM.
