s****r
发帖数: 31686 | 1 As discussed in a previous article, part of responsible firearms ownership i
s making every reasonable effort to prevent unauthorized persons from gainin
g access to them. Unfortunately – despite often Herculean efforts by firear
ms owners – the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)
reports that thousands of firearms are stolen every year. While the goal of
the responsible firearms owner should be for their firearm never to be stol
en, there are steps that must be taken both in anticipation of a theft somed
ay occurring and once a theft actually has occurred. In this article, we ex
plore these steps and put forth some suggestions on how to minimize exposure
and aid law enforcement in the event your firearm is ever stolen.
Note: Ownership of firearms is a deeply personal decision and, for many, a d
ivisive and emotional issue. This article is not intended to encourage firea
rms ownership or to take a stance on whether reporting of stolen firearms sh
ould be mandatory under the law. Rather, it is intended to inform those who
choose to own firearms about responsible actions that should be taken in the
event their firearm is stolen.
Preparing For the Worst
Responsible individuals who choose to own firearms must acknowledge the poss
ibility that, despite their best efforts, their firearm may someday be stole
n. Every responsible firearms owner should prepare for the worst.
The single most important piece of information to have on hand in the event
your firearm is stolen is its complete serial number. Not being able to prov
ide a serial number to law enforcement effectively gives the thief and any s
ubsequent black-market buyers a “free pass” by making it far more difficul
t to link them to the original theft of the firearm. Not being able to provi
de this information also complicates return of your firearm (if it ever is r
ecovered) and potential reimbursement by your insurance company.
In addition to the serial number, certain other information can be very help
ful:
The make, model and year of manufacture
Any unique identifying marks, engraving, modifications or accessories
The location and date of purchase or transfer
The original (or latest, if purchased used) price or current valuation of th
e firearm
Contrary to popular belief, there is no national registration of firearms an
d BATFE neither captures nor maintains serial numbers of purchased firearms
in the normal course of their operations. A few states do have mandatory fir
earms registration (Georgia is not one of them) but are not always at libert
y to disclose that information to any party, including the original owner. S
erial numbers for firearms purchased from licensed firearms dealers will be
retained in their records for some period of time, however, there are many c
ircumstances under which this information may not be retained, available or
eligible for disclosure, even to the original purchaser.
In short, it is incumbent upon the responsible firearms owner to document se
rial numbers and other significant information and to retain such informatio
n in a safe location for use in the event their firearm is ever stolen. Two
tools that can facilitate this are:
BATFE’s Personal Firearms Record, a pamphlet-sized document with space to r
ecord critical information about each firearm owned and intended to be store
d in a safe location such as a safety deposit box or in-home safe. A PDF of
this document suitable for printing may be downloaded here, or a hardcopy ve
rsion can be ordered directly from BATFE from their website.
An Enhanced Personal Firearms Record, with space for photos and additional d
etails. A template for this document in Microsoft Word may be downloaded her
e.
Whichever of these you choose, please keep it current and in a safe place –
or, better yet, multiple copies in several safe places.
Reporting a Stolen Firearm
While only a few states that require stolen firearms are reported to law enf
orcement (again, Georgia is not one of them), responsible firearms owners sh
ould immediately report stolen firearms to law enforcement:
To the local police department, as part of a theft incident report. Make cer
tain the responding officers clearly understand a firearm has been stolen ev
en if it is only one of many items missing. Make certain the responding offi
cer includes a description of the stolen firearm as well as the serial numbe
r and any other unique descriptors in the police report, and follow up a few
days after the police report is issued to make certain the stolen firearm h
as been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
Directly to BATFE, via their Stolen Firearms Hotline at (888) 930-9275. Doin
g so will help ensure your stolen firearm is entered into the NCIC database
and will put information about your stolen firearm into the hands of law enf
orcement agencies across the country who may recover it at a later time. The
re is no legal requirement the author is aware of to report stolen firearms
to BATFE unless you are a Type 01 or 03 Federal Firearms Licensee or the sto
len firearm is a Title II weapon. (You will understand what these terms mean
if you are or if it is.)
A number of websites (HotGunz, FirearmFax, etc.) that allow the public to en
ter and search records of stolen firearms have emerged over the past few yea
rs. However, the veracity and value of such websites has yet to be determine
d. Please take the time to understand and verify these sites before using th
em. If you do choose to use them, keep in mind they are not a substitute for
reporting the theft to law enforcement.
Filing A Claim For Your Stolen Firearm With Your Insurance Company
Before filing a claim for a stolen firearm with your insurance company, take
the time to review your policy documents carefully to determine that firear
ms are covered by the policy and that the ownership or theft of firearms wil
l not in some way impact your insurance coverage. While John Oxendine (Georg
ia’s Insurance Commissioner) recently stated emphatically that any discrimi
nation of insurance policy or service against individuals simply because the
y own firearms is illegal, this author’s experience suggests that it occurs
anyway. Consider whether the impact of filing a claim on your premium or po
licy will exceed the potential monies recovered.
If you are an NRA member, keep in mind that you have $1,000 coverage for sto
len firearms as an insurance benefit. Contact the NRA to file a claim. (Plea
se note this is provided for information only and is not an endorsement of t
he NRA or membership.)What To Expect If Your Firearm Is Recovered
In the event your stolen firearm is recovered, you likely will be notified b
y the law enforcement agency to which you reported the theft, however, you m
ay also be contacted directly by the recovering law enforcement agency. Depe
nding on the circumstances of the recovery, your firearm may be returned to
you immediately, at some point in the future, or not at all:
Your stolen firearm is evidence of at least one crime – the original theft
– and so may be held for use as evidence in any subsequent prosecution.
If your firearm was subsequently used in the commission of another crime, it
may also be held for use of evidence in that subsequent prosecution.
Some law enforcement agencies have individual policies regarding the process
and timetable for the return of stolen firearms.
Some jurisdictions simply do not return firearms once they come into the pos
session of law enforcement, regardless of the circumstances – they are held
indefinitely or destroyed.
In short, don’t expect that your firearm will be returned to you any time s
oon if it is recovered following a theft. The author is aware of one instanc
e in which BATFE recovered a stolen firearm as part of a black-market arms t
rading investigation and had to be sued before they would agree to return th
e firearm even after the prosecution of the case was completed. The author i
s aware of a second instance where a firearm owned by a retired law enforcem
ent officer was stolen, recovered by the same agency from which he retired,
and destroyed rather than returned under department policy.
The Bottom Line
The best possible scenario is to take every possible action to prevent a fir
earm from being stolen in the first place. However, it is impossible to guar
antee such theft will never occur. As such, firearms owners should make reas
onable preparations to assist law enforcement recover their firearm and faci
litate prosecution of the criminals who stole it. In these circumstances, a
little preparation can go a long way – and is an obligation of responsible
firearms ownership. | F*********k
发帖数: 2252 | 2 Good article
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【在 s****r 的大作中提到】
: As discussed in a previous article, part of responsible firearms ownership i
: s making every reasonable effort to prevent unauthorized persons from gainin
: g access to them. Unfortunately – despite often Herculean efforts by firear
: ms owners – the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)
: reports that thousands of firearms are stolen every year. While the goal of
: the responsible firearms owner should be for their firearm never to be stol
: en, there are steps that must be taken both in anticipation of a theft somed
: ay occurring and once a theft actually has occurred. In this article, we ex
: plore these steps and put forth some suggestions on how to minimize exposure
: and aid law enforcement in the event your firearm is ever stolen.
| s****r
发帖数: 31686 | 3 把那个表格下载下来， 填好， 丢在安全地方， 做个记录
【在 F*********k 的大作中提到】
: Good article
:
: i
: gainin
: firear
: BATFE)
: of
: stol
: somed
: ex
| K****o
发帖数: 2183 | 4 哪里去下载那个表格？
【在 s****r 的大作中提到】
: 把那个表格下载下来， 填好， 丢在安全地方， 做个记录
| P*******o
发帖数: 460 | 5 google “What To Do If Your Firearm Is Stolen”，
原文里有下载链接：
http://novictims.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/what-to-do-if-your-fi
【在 K****o 的大作中提到】
: 哪里去下载那个表格？
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