DEFCON 1- A PD chased guy,tossed gun,retrieved ,ran it, gun I sold to DEALER in 2010/

[DisgruntledReaper]

Not over reacting, just pisses me off that even when you do all the stuff you are legally supposed to do and still goes south...well
The whole NLIP thing was a surprise to me when I returned a pistol to the MFR due to frame crack, they said they have to destroy it and I was told they dont notify ANYONE?? but me? so I had to notify the DOJ with the form and tell them it was destroyed by the MFR ... AND I had to pay taxes transfer and dros for the replacement....

Here is what I was told by my local PD... other city PD in LA area- NOT LAPD- was in foot chase, guy flung the handgun and they ran it, came back to me as last owner, they called local PD, they came to see if I was a vic of a crime and gun stolen, was i injured,robbed,etc.. I told them flat out i sold it and I know exactly who the dealer ,always at show,has been forever so I did not think anything of doing biz with him.....

In the course of investigation COULD the recovering city PD get a search warrant and come snooping? Got mom at house, elderly and she tends to get worked up... dont need that....

Tell you I need to move, this state brings me nothing but bad news and or bad timing in my life.....

[BONECUTTER]

As a seller you would fill out a NLIP form. The DOJ does not transfer ownership with a DROS, even a PPT.

If sold in CA a new owners name will be on it more recently than yours so its usually not a big deal.

[HKMadness]

Like a wise man once said, "**** happens". Sometimes it's worse than others. In the broad scope of things, this isn't really a reason to raise your blood pressure so much. If you're concerned about them "snooping", address those concerns.

[DisgruntledReaper]

+1 for If they thought it was you, you'd be in jail right now. Relax, keep your paperwork safe, and carry on. Were you paid cash or check?

Ps, I'm curious to see what one of your defcon 5 stories reads like

I was paid in cash, received receipt,went on about my biz.... I am trying to remember if I bought anything else in that time frame, like a stripped lower or something I may have mistakenly attached the receipt to, filed with....., that will help me with additional paperwork search....... almost 30 yrs of shooting and receipts gets to be a pretty hefty folder...

[HKMadness]

I was paid in cash, received receipt,went on about my biz.... I am trying to remember if I bought anything else in that time frame, like a stripped lower or something I may have mistakenly attached the receipt to, filed with....., that will help me with additional paperwork search....... almost 30 yrs of shooting and receipts gets to be a pretty hefty folder...

I digitally archive them. Just snap a pic of the document with my phone, and email it to myself. My main email account is 5 years old, I still have my first email on that account.

[bill_k_lopez]

Not over reacting? You could have fooled me.

You're now asking if your house could be searched?

No more coffee this morning, ok..

And how would this have been better out of state? In a state where no paperwork is required for private party sales? Hmm?

Not a big deal, you weren't arrested, nobody came knocking on your door - you aren't a suspect in the crime...for Gods's sake man, get a hold of yourself!!

Not over reacting, just pisses me off that even when you do all the stuff you are legally supposed to do and still goes south...well
The whole NLIP thing was a surprise to me when I returned a pistol to the MFR due to frame crack, they said they have to destroy it and I was told they dont notify ANYONE?? but me? so I had to notify the DOJ with the form and tell them it was destroyed by the MFR ... AND I had to pay taxes transfer and dros for the replacement....

Here is what I was told by my local PD... other city PD in LA area- NOT LAPD- was in foot chase, guy flung the handgun and they ran it, came back to me as last owner, they called local PD, they came to see if I was a vic of a crime and gun stolen, was i injured,robbed,etc.. I told them flat out i sold it and I know exactly who the dealer ,always at show,has been forever so I did not think anything of doing biz with him.....

In the course of investigation COULD the recovering city PD get a search warrant and come snooping? Got mom at house, elderly and she tends to get worked up... dont need that....

Tell you I need to move, this state brings me nothing but bad news and or bad timing in my life.....

[DisgruntledReaper]

Going to go have a coffee and try to I need to go run errands and other life stuff...
Thanks for the input guys, guess aside from waiting for the next show and getting the info and forwarding it to the PD I am doing all I can... and that info about the DOJ NOT transfer ownership..even with DROS.... is some effed up stuff..... their records must be totally effed....or we owners are .... man the deeper I dig into the 'DOJ DROS machine' the more I think it needs to be dismantled, cannot fix something so jacked up.

I will add any updates if something more develops..... Thanks guys..

[movie zombie]

LE doing its job and making sure you weren't a victim of a crime.....and now you're absolutely paranoid. bill k lopez is right: no more coffee for you!

[kraqus]

I still don't understand some answers given. He was ONLY contacted by LE because He was the last REGISTERED OWNER of such gun....Right?





Benny

[FastFinger]

Hmm... last owner on record... recovered firearm... file for return?

[tenpercentfirearms]

In theory the dealer/you were supposed to fill out an no longer in possession form.

Just relax. Hopefully you know who the dealer was and if you point them towards them, they should have it in their bound book.

Hmm... last owner on record... recovered firearm... file for return?

Except how does he explain the bad guy got it? Unlawful transfer?

[Dutch3]

Not over reacting? You could have fooled me.

You're now asking if your house could be searched?

I'll put this out there. Take it for what it is. OP's concerns are not completely unwarranted.

Several years ago, a friend of mine in So Cal loaned a handgun to a guy he knew.
Gun was stolen by one of the guy's gangster relatives.
My friend reported it stolen to the PD.
The gun was used in the murder of a police officer.

The murderers were caught, tried and convicted. The gun was recovered, but my friend was not informed of that.
A couple of years later, my friend is awakened at 3AM by a SWAT team performing a "gang sweep"- they served something like 40 warrants that night. His elderly mother lives with him and was quite distraught as the home was ransacked.

All of my friend's firearms and reloading equipment were seized, along with other property (computers, etc.)
At this point, he learned his stolen gun had been recovered after being used in a gang crime.
That gun was the only thing even remotely connecting him to any criminal activity and only because he was the last registered owner.
He was never arrested, charged or convicted of any crime, yet his seized guns were never returned.
He has been told they have been destroyed.
He contacted legal counsel and was told he had no chance of prevailing since there were Federal agencies involved in the seizure.

In the OP's case, the documentation trail apparently ends with him. I would be concerned as well.

[Maestro Pistolero]

That's why I never sell any of my stuff at gun shows.

But it was a dealer. What difference does the location of the transaction make?

[Blake760]

Sounds to me like, as the last registered owner, the cops would like to know if you would like your gun back. It happens very rarely.

[1859sharps]

despite not having official registration at the Federal level, IF everyone follows the law and (even if NOT required to) makes all sales of guns through a dealer, there IS a paper trail.

FFL receives gun from either a distributor or manufacture, enters it into their bound book. they sell it, which triggers the filling out of a 4473. Later the first owner sells to a dealer, that dealer enters the gun into their bound book and then later sells it to it's second owner, again triggering a 4473.

IF that gun turns up in a crime, just because the paper trail tells a particular story, an investigator may still call someone in that chain of events to VERIFY the paper trail. OR in the hopes that someone might remember some odd fact that to them is unimportant but to the investigator is the missing nugget that cracks the case open.

So, simply being called and asked about a gun you may have owned in the past does NOT automatically mean you are now under some microscope or a person of suspicion.

It has been a couple decades since I worked as an FFL holder in California so things could have changed, and current FFL holders can clarify anything I am about to say that is out of date....BUT...

When i was a California FFL holder in the early 90's if I had bought a gun from a non FFL holder, the requirements were the same as from a distributor or manufacture. enter the new gun into my bound book. I do not remember and do not believe there is now any requirement that I notify the Cal DOJ about any new guns I buy over the counter from a "customer/non ffl" holder if the gun is already in the state.

So, if that is still the case, the FFL you sold your gun to at the show was under no legal requirements to notify the CAL DOJ regarding acquiring your gun. This FFL would just enter it into their bound book. Then when they sold it later, the DROS process for the handgun would effectively register it to the new owner...thus "taking your name off it".

There are many speculative reasons for the investigator to have called you. Not all of them means your in trouble. If you followed the law, you are good to go and have nothing to worry about.