When our church had a stretch of “Adopt a Highway Litter Patrol” I once found a cheap, crummy switchblade knife. Somewhat better than a free gallon jug of apple juice.

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Originally posted by parabellum:

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Originally posted by Expert308:
Do you really drink from half-empty bottles you find along the road?

You can hold the bag on our next snipe hunt.

I’ve been watching a lot of Cheers lately and saw that episode.

All I ever find is a dead skunk, but it's always in the middle of the road...

It was not on the side of the road but in a dumpster.... I was 16 years old and a friend and I looked in the dumpster and there was a fairly nice looking foot locker in it and we decided we could use it in our club house... dern thing was heavy and after we got it out and opened it up... the thing was full of porn magazines!

Allright, that was a solid two-fer for the clubhouse.

We always ran a dog along a foot pursuit route (even after the fact) to try and find dumped drugs and guns.

I was working as security for the K9 handler once and his dog was loose running around to pee after a track and he came back with a pistol in his mouth. Not the first time finding a gun on a track either.

The only thing I’ve ever found was beach towels, wallets and flops when I lived in cape Hatteras, and I recently found a large flat bladed neon green screwdriver on the side of the road. Always turned in the wallets to 911. I washed and kept the beach towels.

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Originally posted by Blume9mm:
It was not on the side of the road but in a dumpster.... I was 16 years old and a friend and I looked in the dumpster and there was a fairly nice looking foot locker in it and we decided we could use it in our club house... dern thing was heavy and after we got it out and opened it up... the thing was full of porn magazines!

I worked with a guy like that. Two lockers 5’ tall packed with porn. Never trusted him. In fact, when I tied my shoes, I always put my back against the wall!

Some of the best tools ever are road find tools.

I can see the police tracing it if they think it was used in a crime, but if nothing's happened recently you think they'll bother tracking it back to the owner? (unless they're goal is to give him a hard time about it) I also don't know that I see someone calling the cops to tell them they lost their gun. Location probably plays a part in that though. They might report it stolen though and maybe get it back that way. Most likely it'll go sit in a property room for a decade or more and then get chopped up.

Let me see a show of hands for anyone that has turned in a firearm and then we’re allowed to collect it. I’ll even take a show of hands for anyone that turned in a wad of cash and collected after the waiting period. Twice I have turned in items that I would have liked if the owner was not found, and twice I received the “ummm we can’t find anything back here”. Live and learn. May the Glock find its owner, or your safe gearhounds.

Good on you for turning it over. I hope the owner gets it back and a stern talking to. If it was stolen or used for something nefarious, all the better to turn it over than to be stuck with it.

If the owner does not claim it and the gun is given to you by the police, would you have to pay a gift tax on the gun?

(Raising my hand...)
Way back in the '80s (before my LEO career) I found a Bersa .380 in a wide spot in the road overlooking one of my pastures. It was a popular spot for people to stop and take scenic photos. I figured one of those tourists dropped it.

I took it to the Sheriff's Office where a deputy checked the serial number, saw it wasn't reported stolen and then I left with it. I ended up giving it to a buddy.

Nobody wants to see me get to keep the Glock more than me, but before that is a viable option, I’d rather see the ATF trace succeed in getting it back to its owner. All the available evidence points toward a bone head mistake (unloaded, kydex holster nearby) and I know I’d want someone to do the same if I lost one or had it stolen and tossed by some mook.

As to the gift tax, I don’t believe it would apply. I’m not even sure an FFL’s involvement is necessary as it is not a transfer per se.

What really floors me is that the thing sat where it was for any length of time. I processed the image immediately despite going by it at 65 mph. It was lying clearly visible just outside the yellow sideline with no obstruction for all to see. It seems amazing that someone else driving past it didn’t detect it. We’ll see what happens but the owner getting it back somewhat dinged and rashed up as a reminder to better secure it is the best possible outcome and me getting it the second option.

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Originally posted by armored:
If the owner does not claim it and the gun is given to you by the police, would you have to pay a gift tax on the gun?

You mean gift tax as in federal gift tax filed on form 709?

Besides finding an item someone else lost not being a gift, no. The person giving the gift is responsible for filing the return and paying the tax. Even if someone gifts a gun to you, chances are they won’t have to pay gift tax. As of 2023, every individual is allowed to gift up to
$17,000 during the year to as many other individuals they want without owing gift tax. Even if they go over that amount, the individual can then his or her Unified Credit and give an additional $12,920,000 before gift tax would be owed.

Found property is taxable income to to finder reported as miscellaneous income on form 1040.

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Originally posted by arfmel:

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Damn, all I ever find on the side of the road are half drank bottles of Gatorade that don't taste like Gatorade.

I see lots of gallon jugs of “apple juice” left behind in rest areas frequented by truckers. Nice of them to share with those less fortunate.

There's a gas station off of I-25 in Buffalo Wy where we tend to stop before taking 16 up into the bighorns. We pull a trailer, so I typically gas up and then pull off out of the way somewhere so I'm not blocking the pump when I go inside and take care of business, and if it's the appropriate time of day we'll also break out the cooler and make some lunch. This particular gas station has a large gravel area convenient for such activities, and it seemed like a good spot for lunch. While my wife and I were getting it put together our kids were walking around and found one of those "apple juice" bottles laying in the lot. It was remarkable due to the size...IIRC it was a 64oz gatorade bottle, and almost completely full. I had to explain to the kids what it was, and told them to leave it alone.

Fast forward 2 years and we're back at the same gas station, parked in the same spot, and guess what was still there?!? And the kids of course remembered it and had to point it out. Now any time we go that way they ask if we're going to stop at the place with the pee bottle, lol.

It's not easy to determine ownership even if the shop where the gun was sold is located. Those files are generally kept in chronological order. Without knowing about when it was sold, or the name of the buyer, it might take a very long time for the shop owner to search the records. The date the gun was delivered to the shop MAY help narrow the time frame, but I've seen guns sit on the shelf for more than 4 years sometimes. That could mean searching through tens of thousands of forms.

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Originally posted by 400m:
Let me see a show of hands for anyone that has turned in a firearm and then we’re allowed to collect it. I’ll even take a show of hands for anyone that turned in a wad of cash and collected after the waiting period. Twice I have turned in items that I would have liked if the owner was not found, and twice I received the “ummm we can’t find anything back here”. Live and learn. May the Glock find its owner, or your safe gearhounds.

I did, suburban city outside of Detroit, early 90’s while walking with my daughters. A few dollars over a hundred in the business district laying on the sidewalk.

I took it to be a teaching moment for the girls, we took it to the local P.D. and turned it in. Ninety days later we were called to pick it up as nobody claimed it. Both of them remembered it still to this day that we did the right thing.

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Originally posted by 92fstech:
.......our kids were walking around and found one of those "apple juice" bottles laying in the lot. It was remarkable due to the size...IIRC it was a 64oz gatorade bottle, and almost completely full. I had to explain to the kids what it was, and told them to leave it alone.

Fast forward 2 years and we're back at the same gas station, parked in the same spot, and guess what was still there?!? And the kids of course remembered it and had to point it out. Now any time we go that way they ask if we're going to stop at the place with the pee bottle, lol.

Almost like ASG's Chair. Never goes away

Well, got the word today; the gun was reported stolen and the police were able to get it back to the owner. The best case scenario was the outcome.

It’s going to have a loooonnngg visit at ATF to be tested for any ballistics matches. Hope you get it back. When mine firearm was stolen from my luggage in my truck while in Knoxville, Indianapolis PD (where it was recovered at a crime scene) sent it to ATF and I never received return calls from the investigator at Indy PD and it never was returned. They talked to me as if I was a criminal the two times I was able to speak with someone. One of them took home a nice Sphinx Subcompact I’m guessing. Hope your find turns out to be a happy story.