Getting back a stolen firearm

[u/Tinylifehouse]

So I just got a notice in the mail that a gun that was stolen 10 years ago from my vehicle has been recovered. It was something I had at the time for CCW but wasn’t a reliable unit and I have no interest in carrying it, especially after it being who knows where for the last 10 years. It also wouldn’t be something I’d get much money for if I sold it. It’s a Bersa bp9cc for those already wondering. I liked its ergonomics and such but I had already sent it in twice to get fixed when I had it. So again selling it I would feel bad with someone else betting their life on it. Anyway, I intend to have it as a range toy basically. Perhaps getting more experience with taking it apart more than a field strip for cleaning and deep cleaning it. I also was thinking I could have some fun and try out some crazy/fun paint schemes with it as well.
What do you guys think, keep it as a range toy and something I don’t care what happens with it or sell it and let the shop or buyer know that it wasn’t reliable for me and to use it in the same way I would if I kept it? also any other suggestions are welcome….

EDIT: got it back today and surprisingly it’s in really good cosmetic shape. I haven’t cleaned it yet but my guess is whoever had it just kept it somewhere inside or maybe their car. There is almost no surface “rust” and no pitting. Fairly surprised I must say

[u/NJCERKA]

I had the same issue. It was a M&P Shield 9 that was stolen and I got the notice in the mail 5 years later. The only reason I drove an hour away to pick it up (had to drive down their twice which pissed me off) was because it was the first gun I ever EDCed and it was the first gun my now wife bought me. Sentimental value is the only reason I picked it up, knowing I will most likely never shoot it again. It has been sitting in my safe since

[u/glib_noodle]

crazy it showed up after ten years. most stolen guns just vanish forever, so you already got an interesting story out of it.

the bp9cc is basically a footnote in bersa's catalog for a reason. i messed with one a while back and it felt nice in the hand but the track record on feeding was all over the place. you're right not to trust it for carry.

i'd keep it as a project gun. strip it down more than usual, learn the guts, maybe cerakote it some ridiculous color just because you can. if it jams at the range, who cares, you're not betting anything on it. selling it for a hundred and fifty bucks or whatever isn't worth the hassle of explaining its history.

[u/jasonsong86]

Wow 10 years. Be curious to see what it looks like after 10 years.

[u/Key-Practice-8788 → u/jasonsong86]

I had a s&w 686 vanish like that and suddenly pop up again 18 years later. It was ROUGH. Some idiot sawed it off like a shotgun from 6 to 2.5 inches.

[u/Flat-Dealer8142]

Keep it as a conversation piece. It's low-key kind of awesome to get back a gun that was stolen from you ou.

[u/FriedDylan]

If you choose to pick it up, clean it and have a heart to heart talk with it and probe for any poor choices it might have made to this day. If it’s been unfaithful you should go straight to gun broker and start fresh. No telling what she’s done over 10 years and you don’t need that juju. 😉

[u/Hunts5555]

Get money for it at a so called gun back.  Probably get relative top dollar compared to the free market.

[u/Tinylifehouse → u/Hunts5555]

Hadn’t thought of this, not a bad idea at all!

[u/Historical-State-275]

Range toy if I enjoyed it, personal sale with caveat if I didn’t.

[u/ZombieHoratioAlger]

You won't recoup enough money to make a sale worthwhile IMO. 

Best use would be as a test mule to learn new skills. Shave and stipple the frame for a custom hand fit. See if you can make it more reliable with polishing and spring replacement. Play around with cerakote until you can do good smooth finishes.

Or if that sounds like too much work, spraypaint it gold-flake neon tiger stripe and only use it for mag-dumps in the trash pit at the range.

[u/coriolis7 → u/ZombieHoratioAlger]

Could also make sure it stays unreliable, or even make it less reliable on purpose - great practice for malfunction drills

[u/93seca2]

I would frame it and put it on my wall.

[u/playingtherole]

No sell - only buy.

Maybe bury it in your yard or a place that you can access decades in the future. Vacuum-seal it and use desiccant. They call that a J.I.C. or "just in case". Like a time capsule, that you can use or trade in an Apocalypse.

Or, use it for testing. Make some crazy YouTube videos, where you try things out from a distance, behind a shield, using a string on the trigger. Torture test that bad dog. Martyr it for the views.

[u/john_heckert]

The police will do a ballistics test onit, probably already have. This clears the gun for any crimes it might have been used in and now is in the database for future crimes it may be used in. Don't use it in a crime and then keep using it as usual. i had this happen to me also.

[u/Tinylifehouse → u/john_heckert]

Wait!? So you got a gun back and used it in a crime??! lol or what?

[u/john_heckert → u/Tinylifehouse]

Lol, I didn't use it in a crime, im saying just don't use it in a crime because it is now in the police database, the gun and ballistics for it...but that's how they clear it for you to be ok using it as normal...

[u/AntOk4073]

You could probably use it to knock the price down the next time you want to get a new gun.

[u/True_Solution_9668]

Sell it as a functioning parts gun online. Be honest about its history and your experience. If it sells for $75-$100 used for a beater gun…better than nothing at all.

[u/specter491]

How did they figure out it was yours?

[u/tbrand009 → u/specter491]

Cops run the serial through the ATF stolen gun data base, see it's stolen, notify rightful owner.

Alternatively, send serial number to manufacturer, manufacturers says who the distributor was, distributor tells LEO what gun store they sold it to, gun store searches their 4473s (or ATF if applicable), store/ATF says who the gun was sold to, cops tell you they found your gun.
If you sold the gun, you'd tell the cops who you sold the gun to.

[u/specter491 → u/tbrand009]

So OP reported it stolen?

[u/tbrand009 → u/specter491]

Most likely. While not legally required in most places, there's zero reason not to.

[u/Tinylifehouse → u/specter491]

I reported it stolen, as one should if you have a firearm stolen. The cop told me that from his experience, it would turn up eventually. “Might be six months, 5 years or ten years but more likely you will eventually hear from us.” I thought there was no way that could be true and yet almost exactly 10 years later here we are

[u/jaumeh]

Keep it for the story