Tragic boating accident find

[9.1]

Let's say... hypothetically... a guy pulls a rifle that was manufactured in 1967 off the bottom of a river while he's out fishing one morning and decides to take it home to clean it up and see what it is. If that rifle was so rusted that the serial number couldn't be read, did the guy commit a felony by taking possession of it, or is there some kind of C&R loophole? Also, did he break any state laws if this has occurred in Pennsylvania? Just to be clear, this is a hypothetical question.

 

[gabenzeke]

Interested in responses. I may or may not know of a browning A5 discovered under similar circumstances

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[hflier]

I am former FFL. You cannot own a gun legally without a serial number. If you had a serial number, in PA you would have to go to a dealer and have the 4473 completed transferring it to you, but a dealer probably would not do it as he would not have an originating owner for the transfer (could have been used in a crime etc.). In my state of Oklahoma if it had a serial number, no issue to take it home. This one falls under the don't don't tell policy.

 

[UnckleBob]

Are Firearms without Serial Numbers Illegal? - Pennsylvania Law Abiding Gun Owner Blog

Are Firearms without Serial Numbers Illegal? If you’re a Law Abiding Gun Owner (LAGO) who primarily uses modern firearms, a firearm without a serial number would probably look strange to you. In fact, it should look strange to you, and in most cases someone selling you or giving to you a firearm...

www.pennlago.com

I am not sure I would blindly follow some dude on the internet, but it is an interesting take.

I think you can legally notify the ATF under federal law and then add a new number . I have no idea what PA would say,

 

[BravoNovember]

I would probably just re-lose said item in about boating accident. I’m just terrible at driving a boat.

 

[9.1]

@Unckebob that link has some good info. The October 1968 serialization requirement is what I was confusing with some kind of C&R loophole.

 

[Rknight]

I wouldn't be posting about it on the internet or telling friends about it and you'll be fine. Congrats "hypothetically" on a solid find. But then again my advise isn't worth much, I don't have any guns... they all got lost in a boating accident years ago

 

[Hackleback]

Q.- If it is nonfunctional, is it considered a firearm? Much like a "drill rifle" that has been welded or a machine gun where the receiver has been cut with a torch.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

FED

 

[9.1]

Q.- If it is nonfunctional, is it considered a firearm? Much like a "drill rifle" that has been welded or a machine gun where the receiver has been cut with a torch.

I think it would depend on how non-functional a found firearm was. I think the ATF has some specific requirements for destroying firearms that make them pretty difficult to repair.

 

[Afhunter1]

In PA you can buy and sell long guns with no paperwork face to face. So I’d say you might have bought this abused gun from a fellow years ago but forgot his name and where he was from. At least that’s prob route I’d go. There was just 3 long rifle muzzle loaders found in a river close to my farm. They were stolen years ago from a local museum so these things happen.

Actually I forgot it doesn’t have to be face to face. You can actually ship inside PA with no paperwork also. So you could have bought it with out ever meeting anybody. Like if you bought it off of pennswoods classifieds as I have many guns with no paperwork. Last one was a M2 I bought from a guy in Erie that he shipped to my home in Bedford.

 

[Rich M]

I found a rusted up pump shotgun leaning against a tree once. No idea how long it had been there.

Coworker wanted to refinish it so i let him have it. He did a decent job but never replaced the firing pin.

 

[hodgeman]

I think it probably depends on how big of a dick you are in the unlikely event the cops ever get around to asking about it.

Old and rusted up junkers tend to elicit zero interest from LEOs unless you're actively engaged in other criminal behavior or rampant assholery.

I simply can't imagine a DA prosecuting someone over a wall-hanger they found in a river.

 

[D S 319]

fish that opens its mouth is the one that gets caught.

And no serial numbered guns are very common, 80% lowers are a thing and are legal, atleast in most states.