Posting serial numbers

[BILL]

An associate spotted a rare pistol at a gun show, similar to one that had been stolen from him in a house breaking incident. Upon closer examination it turned out to be his pistol. The current owner of the pistol did have a bill of sale but it did not lead back to anyone they could prosecute. This all sounds like normal police procedure but when asked about having his stolen property returned the law enforcement agency said that was a private issue between the current owner and the crime victim and out of their jurisdiction. Had they been able to locate the perpetrator of the crime then they could have confiscated the weapon and it would have been returned to the proper owner. Sometimes local LEA policies baffle me.