Who buys guns at gun shows:

[rivitir]

yeah, but most officers would be happy to run a check on a firearm for you (in my experience).....although, if it comes back that it is stolen they are required to confiscate it

Exactly why it should be run before you purchase. In my experience their are always officers at gun shows. You can probably tell the seller to follow you over to one of the cops so they can run the serial number. If the seller refuses or gives a lame excuse why you shouldn't bother with it, then it would be a good indicator not to purchase. :-)

 

[blitzen25cat]

remember the good old days--prior to 1968 when there was no 4473 forms. Walk in the hardware store,pay for the gun and walk out-no hassle or bs. Criminals were treated as such and we were left alone. For you younger folks out there it really was that way. I really do miss those days. Best regards

 

[chrstian_indy]

*noob question alert*

isn't there a website one can go to check the serial number to see if the gun is stolen?

 

[Zoub]

Guns shows don't bother me but I never buy guns in a McDonald's or Walmart parking lot. I know, call me crazy but I just don't do that.

Stolen guns tend to be moved in large numbers through channels, not by individuals at gun shows. The internet scares me more than gun shows.

Most of you guys on here are freaks in real life.

 

[JohnnyTre]

I have found that prices are better when purchasing from individuals than through gunshop or gunshow. If I had a bad feeling about the sale then I would not go through with the sale.

 

[vork08]

I assume this question was about buying from privated citizens at a gun show, not from a dealer inside where you'll still fill out all the paperwork.
It's just like buying from the classifieds, no way of knowing. I do know I wouldn't give a stranger my ID nos., LTCH, and all my other personal info. And not giving up serial off gun either, except maybe in presence of LEO actually doing a check, as long as buyer is paying for it. If you're that scared of doing business with someone, stick to the dealers.

 

[JoshuaW]

You guys do realize a 4473 doesn't check if the gun is stolen, don't you? As far as I know, dealers have the exact same resources to find out if a gun is stolen (ask the police who maintain such a database). If you are buying a used gun, it could be stolen. Period. If you don't want to buy a stolen gun, only buy new guns from established dealers. If you do buy used guns, don't worry after the fact, and certainly don't ask questions after the fact, unless you want to hand over that rare 1911 you just payed $1000 for.

 

[12many]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, however I'm pretty sure that the 1500 requires all sold firearms fill out the appropriate forms and background checks for guns sold at tables...that being said I'm sure a reported stolen serial number would "raise a flag"...and probably not going to happen at the 1500....so I wouldn't worry about it there.............personally, unless you're going to call the state police and report each of your firearms purchases to them in case it may be stolen...why would you worry about it unless you're doing something illegal which requires them to check on the weapon.......I personally do not worry about any of it but I also do not sell much....the only time I sell a gun is IF I come across a great deal on something that I know someone else is looking for...

I guess you take the same chance if you buy a gun off of armslist, hoosier topics or, who knows maybe even INGO. The last handgun I traded for at the 1500 I had to ask the guy for a receipt, and that was at his table!

 

[pudly]

*noob question alert*

isn't there a website one can go to check the serial number to see if the gun is stolen?

Unfortunately no. There are a few sites around that list stolen gun numbers, but they all are incomplete. For example, there is a sticky on INGO where people can report stolen guns and serial numbers here.

 

[9mmfan]

Most of the purchases I've gotten at gun shows have been ammo, holsters, magazines etc. My last trip to the 1500 I even bought a custom made cowboy belt/holster for my GP 100. Not practical, but damn cool!

 

[mjblazor]

I sold a gun at show this weekend. Nothing exchanged except money, gun, and a handshake. It is registered to me. Now I'm thinking what if he shoots someone?

 

[Tactical Dave]

Gander (yeah I know) said generally when FFL's buy a used gun to sell often they don't have the number run... if they do and say IMPD runs it and it comes back clean there is a chance that it is stolen out of another state but is not in IMPD system...

I know a few cops that buy and sell used guns.... One guy on here had a gun that he sold and years later the feds called askng about a gun he had registered to him that was used in a crime or something.... he said he had sold that gun years ago... fed asked if he remembered the name, he said no and the fed said okay and to have a nice day.

I do know a local though that will not sell a gun of his without a transfer though.

 

[eldirector]

I sold a gun at show this weekend. Nothing exchanged except money, gun, and a handshake. It is registered to me. Now I'm thinking what if he shoots someone?

Registered? How?

I've got a whole stack of guns, and none have ever been "registered". Heck, a few are from before those 4473 checks existed.

A simple "it was sold XX years back. I no longer own that firearm" should suffice. I doubt a judge would issue a warrant based just on a 4473.

 

[JSeroka]

I have only ever bought 1 gun from a show before and I've been to about a dozen. Its rare for me to find exactly what "I'm" looking for at a show, but I go none the less just to see whats out there, and also mostly to gather accessories for my current stock. As for fear of buying a stolen gun, you will always have that if you don't know where the gun started from. If you at all think it might be, or the person your buying from seems shady in any way then don't buy it.

 

[Claddagh]

Personally, I put together a standard, "boilerplate" bill of sale with blanks for all of the pertinent info on the weapon, the seller and myself. Always have at least two copies with me: one for me and one for the seller. That way, everybody's covered, IMHO.

If somebody balks at showing me at least a IN DL and/or having his name and the number recorded on the BoS, I'll simply walk away with a "thank you for your time, but no, thanks". For a handgun I will want to see a current IN PP permit, too.

 

[LionWeight]

Doesn't matter if it's private or a gun show. I call the local PD and have them run the number. This isn't fool proof, it just shows if the gun has been REPORTED stolen. But get the sellers info from ID and I haven't had a problem yet.

 

[duffman0286]

well there is alot of risk involved in a private sale really no different than buying a car and not knowing if it a lemon or not.... but i alway do a bill of sale and must see both a id and license to carry.... however most of my buys are c&r so that helps a little not many criminals are stealling mosin nagants and masers over a glock or other realated firearms.

 

[IndyRon]

I haven't personally yet, but the Indy 1500 at least seems to be on the up and up when it comes to purchases.

 

[Cherryspringer]

Stolen guns?

What would happen in the event that a weapon had a history of being stolen at one time? At one point some guns were stolen from my moms house and we were notified that a pawn shop had recovered them but they were still never returned to us. So I am assuming that the pawn shop sold them to someone else? I'm asking.

 

[sharpetop]

Exactly why it should be run before you purchase. In my experience their are always officers at gun shows. You can probably tell the seller to follow you over to one of the cops so they can run the serial number. If the seller refuses or gives a lame excuse why you shouldn't bother with it, then it would be a good indicator not to purchase. :-)

^^^ Follow this rule and you should be fine!