Help with stolen gun

[Phillip Carr]

A careless mistake on my part resulted in the theft of two of my guns. I had gone out and shot some pen raised birds Thursday morning, prior to my Graddaughters promotion from kindergarten to the 1st grade. Due to the busy schedule I unloaded the gun from the truck and still in the leather slip case placed it on my cleaning cradle intending to clean it Saturday, which is today.

My wife asked me this morning, do you know you left the garage door open Thursday night? I found it open when I left for work at 5:00 AM Friday morning she said.
Going to the garage I found that the LC Smith was gone along with a S&W .177 target pistol I had purchased when I was 13 years old. It was on my bench where I was replacing a seal.

I do not have a SN for the pellet pistol but the L C Smith should be easy to identify. The spec is as follows:

LC Smith 20 gauge sleeved to 28 gauge.
28" barrels on a 00 frame Ejector
Completely restored wood, bluing, and frame re case colored by Buck Hamlin.
Serial number 6614E

I kick myself for being so Carless and leaving the garage door open, but the SOB came 25 feet into my garage to steal the guns.
Since the LC Smith is one of a kind, I am hoping some day it will show up.
Phil 520-975-0830
Coues3pt@gmail.com

[Dean Romig]

Have you notified the authorities yet?

[Daryl Corona]

Sorry to hear that Phil, I know that sinking feeling you get when you realize it's gone. I'm sure you called the police and reported it, but if there are any pawn shops or gun stores in the area I'd check them out and give them your info. I had a DHE 20ga. stolen from my house a few years ago and I found it at a local gun store the next morning. I got the gun back although it was damaged but the gun shop had to pay for repairs. The crook at the gun shop gave the druggie $500. Anyway, good luck and keep searching.

[Brian Dudley]

Yes. Apart from the police. The first place to check is every pawn shop and gun store within an hour or two distance. Also, if any gun shows go on in your area, you may want to contact the organizers and let them know to keep any eye out for it walking into their upcoming show.

Anyone who steaks a gun is likely going to try and sell it for a quick buck. Get that serial number added to the atf list of stolen guns ASAP.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Phil, I hope you get those guns back, and without damage, I had the same thing happen to me but a little different circumstances, Good luck, notify the authorities, Gary

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks guys. I did call the police and did a report. They have the serial number and hopefully it will show up. Brian how does a person get a gun listed as stolen with the ATF? Do the police do this? In AZ all pawn shops, as well as gun shops by law must report all purchases within a few days. Also hold all purchase for 15. Not to say that there might not be a crooked pawn shop that fails to follow procedures.

[Richard Flanders]

Your serial number will go into a national database that will highlight it if anyone ever does a search on the serial number during a transfer.

[Kevin McCormack]

Contact the BATF immediately and give them the information on the gun. It will be entered into the NCIC (National Criminal Information Center) electronic data base list, which is usually distributed to the world the next day. Until it is recovered or returned, it is listed as a stolen gun, which gets a LOT of attention, believe me!

[George M. Purtill]

Maybe its overkill but I would notify the LC Smith Collectors Association. If it stays under the radar for a long time it may come to their attention eventually.

Maybe we ought to have a sticky thread for Stolen Parkers.

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks guys for the advise, Jim Stubendieck from the LC Smith Forum advised me that they gave a list for stolen L C Smiths. I listed mine today. There are now 3 most recent thefts listed. George I think you have a good idea if we had a link for stolen Parker's. Hope no one would need to use it but it is a worthy tool if a person lost a gun. I have had a debate with myself for awhile about reducing my collection. This loss has made be think again about what I have, and how sick I feel over the loss of just one of my sxs, not counting my loss of the S&W .177 pellet pistol. I had saved all summer to by new school cloths and to afford this pistol. I had managed to hold on to it for 45 years the only gun I had since I was a kid.
Thank god for an understanding wife, she tells me to quit beating myself up, and just move on.

[George M. Purtill]

Phil
I will join your wife- don't beat yourself up. Determined thieves will always have a good chance.
You could never have predicted it.
Don't rush to sell your guns. It wasn't the volume of your guns that caused the loss.
How many times have we all been shooting clays with fellow members and walked away without locking our cars? I will confess to it.
If JD will let me I will start the thread.

[Mills Morrison]

Second George on that. It irks you though. We had an LC Smith 410 stolen out of my uncle's car trunk a long time ago (40 years) and it still bothers the family.

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks guys I'm hitting the pawn shops and gun dealers today.

[Dale Medders]

Geeeeeeeze ! Phil. That hurts.

[Eric Eis]

Thanks guys I'm hitting the pawn shops and gun dealers today.

Make sure you keep hitting them too, like once a week that way they will remember you, also tell them you will pay them what they paid for the gun. If they know they are not going to lose money on the deal they will be more open to help you (I know from experience). Eric

[George Davis]

Phi, I would start at the "Cash Box". Recently a friend found his Browning which had been stolen several ago in the rack for sale and it was not the first gun which has been recovered at that location.

[Mills Morrison]

Good luck Phil.

[Phillip Carr]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. I will hit the Cash Box, hit a number of Pawn shops yesterday. I also have been offering a $1000.00 reward.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Good luck my friend, that's a bad deal for sure.

DLH