Early Christmas gift and warning to all

[Jackal8]

After a nice pheasant group hunt a few weeks ago, we stopped for a coffee with all the other hunters in the city centre, parked in front of the bar. Got home, ready for a nice shower and a few drinks, opened the back door to get the shotgun, just to find nothing. Somebody broke in and stole the gun. As you can imagine, shock ensued. Called the police, and then the problems started- received a notification that I’d be prosecuted for lack of attention in care for the arms, then started thinking about what harm somebody could do with it, then started thinking about the possibility of loosing the hunting license (I’m in continental Europe), so basically not a lot of sleep and constant pain in the stomach.

Started to accept the possibility of having to forget about clay shooting, hunting and all related, when I got a call from the police- we found your shotgun, come and get it. Off I went to the police station, took the shotgun (in perfect order btw) and been told that all charges are dropped.

What a Christmas gift! It’s almost impossible to recover anything stolen, let alone a firearm! From now onwards, after the hunt is finished, driving straight home to put the shotgun/rifle in the safe, and then socialising. Apparently never had anyone heard about a firearm being stolen from a car, but it happened to me, and it ended in the best possible way! So be careful, and avoid the nightmare I’ve been through!

 

[SimonDodsworth]

That’s a great response from your force there. Personally, I always take the bolt with me or, if shotgun, the forend. That way, even if stolen, it is unusable

 

[nun_hunter]

I have a simple cable that I can stick down the barrel and through the trigger guard to stop opportunistic thieves if I ever need to leave a shotgun in my car.

 

[csl]

Good news!

Back in the day, we used to put the shotguns in a pile (in cases) in the corner of the pub and then played pool until past 2300! Sadly this is no more...

 

[Tim.243]

Good news!

Back in the day, we used to put the shotguns in a pile (in cases) in the corner of the pub and then played pool until past 2300! Sadly this is no more...

Have they taken the pool table away Alex

 

[csl]

Have they taken the pool table away Alex

I think they took the whole pub away Tim... it's flats now if I recall!

 

[Tim.243]

I think they took the whole pub away Tim... it's flats now if I recall!

Well a good memory shared

 

[MarinePMI]

While I'm glad the OP got his shotgun back and no charges were actuated against him, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how everyone is glad he didn't get charged with a crime, because someone else committed a crime.

 

[User00056]

It really boils my proverbial that the instant response from the police was to pile blame on the OP. He's the bloody victim, for God's sake. It's infuriating.

Glad it ended well

 

[MarinePMI]

Pavlovian response maybe?

 

[User00056]

Pavlovian response maybe?

If so, it's 'interesting' that the response wasn't 'Don't worry, we'll try our best to retrieve your stolen property and apprehend the thieves'

 

[Sishy]

Good outcome for the op for a bad situation

 

[Jackal8]

It really boils my proverbial that the instant response from the police was to pile blame on the OP. He's the bloody victim, for God's sake. It's infuriating.

Glad it ended well

While I'm glad the OP got his shotgun back and no charges were actuated against him, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how everyone is glad he didn't get charged with a crime, because someone else committed a crime.

It’s an issue of due diligence, if the policeman is a young guy, afraid of making mistakes, he’ll err rather by overdoing than by neglecting, maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome on my part for understanding the initial response. Usually then such actions get rejected in court, but it still takes a year or two without firearms (you need to hand them over during such proceedings). Of course, if the judge is not a vegan animal activist… In Italy it’s much worse, I know firsthand that there f you leave firearms unattended (in a locked car for example) they can be taken away from you, and if they get stolen (as in my example) you loose your firearm permit straight away.

 

[Stevie/P]

Wasn’t there something on here a few years ago about a armed response officer losing a firearm and a member of the public finding it and took it to a police station then that person charged with being in possession of a firearm without a license seemed a bit far fetched at the time but who knows with or laws seems feasible and certainly possible.

 

[trickie]

When Tom King was Defence Minister and lived around the Colerne area of North Wiltshire. One of his Police armed teams left his pistol on the counter of the village shot.
The lady serving picked it up dropped it in a drawer and said. He’s a new guy, that make it twice in a fortnight.
I sad outside in the car for almost 20 minutes before he came speeding into the village to collect it

Standards for one………..

 

[Morkai]

Did they say why the retrieval of the shotgun lead to the charges/prosecution being dropped?

 

[timbrayford]

It really boils my proverbial that the instant response from the police was to pile blame on the OP. He's the bloody victim, for God's sake. It's infuriating.

Glad it ended well

As gun owners we take responsibility for securing our firearms, it's a great shame that the police, crown prosecution service and judiciary don't take the apprehension of career crooks, their prosecution and imprisonment seriously, nor the parole board and probation service in ensuring that they remain in secure custody until properly rehabilitated.

 

[Taff]

It really boils my proverbial that the instant response from the police was to pile blame on the OP. He's the bloody victim, for God's sake. It's infuriating.

Glad it ended well

He was to blame, along with the thief, who is stupid enough to leave a gun unsecured in a unattended vehicle obviously within sight of anyone passing by.

 

[User00056]

He was to blame, along with the thief, who is stupid enough to leave a gun unsecured in a unattended vehicle obviously within sight of anyone passing by.

Pretty strong words. Were you there? I would suggest you moderate your tone a bit. Wonder if you'd have the neck to speak to someone to their face in that boorish and ignorant manner?

 

[kenbro]

Wasn’t there something on here a few years ago about a armed response officer losing a firearm and a member of the public finding it and took it to a police station then that person charged with being in possession of a firearm without a license seemed a bit far fetched at the time but who knows with or laws seems feasible and certainly possible.

A police officer left a pistol in a public toilet and another pistol was left at a public shooting range.
Both were returned safely.
Do you know anyone who hasn’t made a mistake in evolving firearms?
Ken.