10 Gauge Parker

[Kirk Allen]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

Why don't you want the serial number known?

Because there are lots of people that will CLAIM they had their gun stolen and provide a serial number that they found online then try to take claim to it. You end up having to prove its yours instead of the dirtbags having to prove its theirs. Inocent people made out to be criminals.

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Kirk Allen

Because there are lots of people that will CLAIM they had their gun stolen and provide a serial number that they found online then try to take claim to it. You end up having to prove its yours instead of the dirtbags having to prove its theirs. Inocent people made out to be criminals.

I think that's an old wives tale and it's just not true. Anyone who's going to make a claim like that is going to have to establish they owned the gun in the first place, i.e. a police report that was filed in the past listing that gun as being stolen. The police aren't going to get involved with any less evidence that a crime has been committed.

[Kirk Allen]

Originally Posted by Jay Gardner

I think that's an old wives tale and it's just not true. Anyone who's going to make a claim like that is going to have to establish they owned the gun in the first place, i.e. a police report that was filed in the past listing that gun as bing stolen. The police aren't going to get involved with any less evidence that a crime has been committed.

I wish that were the case but it is in fact the main reason people dont share the numbers on line. It has happen and if you want to count on the police to be good at their job then you have more faith in the system than I do.

Its easy to file a report that the gun is missing with the claim you dont know how long its been missing for. Its happen and will continue as long as we have crooks amungst us.

The other issue is duplication. Yes its pretty hard to duplicate a Parker but look at the AR industry and you see a lot of people doing builds on their own and some actualy do copy others serial numbers.

[Bill Murphy]

To be the devil's advocate, I had a gun stolen, did not report it properly. Today, after many years, I found that it is in the hands of an innocent third party. I have no feeling whatever that I could begin to recover that gun under any known law or legal procedure.

[Kirk Allen]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

To be the devil's advocate, I had a gun stolen, did not report it properly. Today, after many years, I found that it is in the hands of an innocent third party. I have no feeling whatever that I could begin to recover that gun under any known law or legal procedure.

Did not report properly? What does that mean? Did you report it at all?

If you can, and you have proof that its yours you can legaly get your gun back. Yes it sucks for the innocent third party but thats the way it goes.

I was going to buy a gun off Gunbroker and I wanted to confirm that the serial numbers was not on a stolen gun list. They guy refused to provide the info. Turns out he was later arrested for selling stolen property. Had I purchased it, I would have been in possession of stolen property and at the least they take it from you when its discovered.

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Kirk Allen

Did not report properly? What does that mean? Did you report it at all?

If you can, and you have proof that its yours you can legaly get your gun back. Yes it sucks for the innocent third party but thats the way it goes.

I was going to buy a gun off Gunbroker and I wanted to confirm that the serial numbers was not on a stolen gun list. They guy refused to provide the info. Turns out he was later arrested for selling stolen property. Had I purchased it, I would have been in possession of stolen property and at the least they take it from you when its discovered.

So, I guess the moral of the story is be wary of people who won't post serial numbers? By the way, to be charged with possession of stolen property one has to know of have reason to know the gun was stolen. A charge requires more than just possession.

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Kirk Allen

I wish that were the case but it is in fact the main reason people don't share the numbers on line. It has happen and if you want to count on the police to be good at their job then you have more faith in the system than I do.

Its easy to file a report that the gun is missing with the claim you don't know how long its been missing for. Its happen and will continue as long as we have crooks amungst us.

The other issue is duplication. Yes its pretty hard to duplicate a Parker but look at the AR industry and you see a lot of people doing builds on their own and some actually do copy others serial numbers.

It may be the main reason that people don't post the serial numbers, that's true, but there is virtually no reason to be fearful. As for filing a false police report, it's a felony, and I know there are a lot of stupid people in the world (and I have represented my fair share) but again, you have to have proof you owned the gun in the first place.

It's a free country so feel free to be as paranoid as you want, but you have very little to fear by posting a serial number on the web.