Seven Great Tips for When Guns Are Stolen
Kevin Felts 03.03.17
Back in late 2015 a Beretta 92F handgun came up missing. There was a lot of stuff going on in my life, such as going through a divorce, so a handgun was the least of my concerns.
After everything had settled down, the handgun was still missing. I thought it may have been misplaced with everything being divided up. After a couple of months the handgun was still missing so I reported it to the local Sheriffs department as missing.
The handgun had been bought in January of 1989, over a decade before my wife and I met, so it was not community property.
The deputy took my information, had me fill out a report, and thankfully I had written down the serial numbers of all my firearms a couple of years earlier.
Fast forward to March 2016. I decided enough time had passed, so I went back to the Sheriffs department to change the status from missing to stolen. When the deputy looked up my name, there was no report listed. There was no case number, and the serial number had not been entered into the system.
Tips from my Personal Experience
Serial Numbers – Write down make, model, and serial numbers of all your firearms.
Pictures – Take close up pictures of all your firearms, including serial numbers. If the camera can put a date stamp on the picture, do so. I have pictures of my Beretta 92F dated 2005.
Distinguishing marks – The safety on my Beretta 92F was wore from being in a holster. Years ago I read about people taking the grips off their handguns and writing their name inside the grip. Or even using a engraver to etch their name on the metal under the grip or under the stock of a rifle.
Sales Receipt – Keep the receipt in with your important papers.
Filing the report – Law enforcement will want as much information as possible. Bring copies of everything for them to keep.
Document when the report was filed – Write down the deputies name, date, and location where the report was filed. Ask for a copy of the report.
Follow up on the report – In my case, I found out a little over a year later the deputy did not enter the report or the gun serial number into the database.
