And 540 that Alaskan Airlines baggage handlers stole, will turn up someday

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

Go get 'em!

The Pawnshop I worked in did report all purchased and traded guns daily to the local PD and they laid on a shelf for 10 days before they could be sold.
We never had a call on a single one. We would get a visit from a detective when one got its numbers ran on a patrol stop or similar reason and it came up stolen.
We would show the Detective where we had sent it in and he would get a copy and be on his way.

I found my stolen model 18 Smith & Wesson on a table at a gun show. I called the sheriff's dept and they sent a couple of deputies to the lobby. I gave them my case number and the serial number of the gun and they confiscated the gun and returned it to me. The vendor was not concerned that the gun was stolen property but only who was going to give him his money back. They gave him a receipt for the confescated gun.
On the other side of that coin, I had a Remington 513 targetmaster on my table at a gun show. A fellow came up and wanted to look it over. After looking it over he told me he believed it was a gun he once owned. I was very interested in hearing what he had to say about it so we talked some more. He told me he had the scope installed by Mcbrides gun shop. He told me how the gun was so accurate he and his friends named it "death". We discussed it at length and everything he told me was right on the money and by that time I was convenced this was in deed the gun he once owned. I ask him about how he disposed of the gun and he told me it was in his pickup rack on the night he took his wife to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. Someone had broken into his truck and stolen it. He love the gun and wanted to purchase it. There is no way I would have sold him his own gun back. At this point in the conversation I was convenced he had told the truth about the gun and had no hesitation about returning his gun. He was very surprised at that and ask me what if he would have just been someone conning me. I told him in that case I could live without it if he could live with it. Now when he sees me his face lights up and he comes to shake my hand. We both feel good about it...... Have I ever told you how I deeply I despise gun thieves?

We'd certainly love to hear "the rest of the story" when you get time. It's amazing you got it back like that.