the gun that got away...

BlindJim · 11-08-2003, 07:42 PM

I am sure everybody that has been around has a story like this, but I thought maybe readers would get a laugh out of this one:

I was Police Officer and was working a daywork tour in my district of assignment - which was and still is a poor black neighborhhod. Any way I heard radio calling me : "233, a shoplifter at the Superfresh 1500 North Broad, meet security". Well I hated those calls, invariably it was a "eater", that is a homeless person, who walked in and just began eating off the shelf. The store guard would then hold them for the police to arrest. It was a toatal pain in the butt. The store always pushed for prosecution because otherwise they would be picked clean if word got out. The detective I had to take the guy to always cursed you out because he didn't want to waste his time on this stuff, and to top it all off, the District Attorney NEVER prosecuted, it just wasn't worth the city's money, and of course there was no room in the jail anyhow.

So, feeling rather cocky, I refused to answer. Twice they called and twice I sat there with folded arms. The third call went to another car, a young black girl who was still considered a rookie. Good I thought, let her handle this crap, meanwhile I will be available in case something real happens.

Well, I went into Hqs and there was the prisoner a smelly homeless man, who was ranting and raving. His captor was there and in front of her and on the corporals desk was a Luger! "Jim you know something about guns, the Corporal said, this is a Luger ain't it"? Yes is was, a 1914 chamber dated Erfurt model. It had no clip, sideplate or grips and had a bore like a sewer pipe but it was matching! Well, the homeless guy got written up for shoplifting but wasn't charged with the gun, because the detective said it wouldn't work!
The gun went down to balistics since they didnt know what to do with it and it was later smelted down at Bethlehem Steel!

I never refused another shoplifting call again.

John Sabato · 11-10-2003, 11:16 AM

Funny? BlindJim... that's a pretty sad story to me... what a tragic ending for a proud gun like a Luger! <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" />

Seriously...Thanks for the story... it really did make me smile.

Big Norm · 11-11-2003, 06:00 PM

BlindJim,
yes, I have heard tales like this one too. I was talking to an asst. sheriff one day. He told me about a widow who brought in four Lugers and told the sheriff to "get rid of these things". The sheriff told the asst. sheriff to put them in the ovens. The asst sheriff told the sheriff that the Lugers were worth a lot of money that could be used to buy equipment for the department. The sheriff repeated his order to put them in the oven.

I always figured that if a guy had four Lugers that they must have been good ones. How sad. Some police chiefs in this area will give collector guns to the local museums and then they will sell them to dealers for money for the museum.
Big Norm

drbuster · 11-11-2003, 09:20 PM

Sounds like BlindJim is from the city of Brotherly Love, my former home town! Great story, though.

11-08-2003, 07:42 PM	#1
BlindJim User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: a state where my gun rights are infringed Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	the gun that got away... I am sure everybody that has been around has a story like this, but I thought maybe readers would get a laugh out of this one: I was Police Officer and was working a daywork tour in my district of assignment - which was and still is a poor black neighborhhod. Any way I heard radio calling me : "233, a shoplifter at the Superfresh 1500 North Broad, meet security". Well I hated those calls, invariably it was a "eater", that is a homeless person, who walked in and just began eating off the shelf. The store guard would then hold them for the police to arrest. It was a toatal pain in the butt. The store always pushed for prosecution because otherwise they would be picked clean if word got out. The detective I had to take the guy to always cursed you out because he didn't want to waste his time on this stuff, and to top it all off, the District Attorney NEVER prosecuted, it just wasn't worth the city's money, and of course there was no room in the jail anyhow. So, feeling rather cocky, I refused to answer. Twice they called and twice I sat there with folded arms. The third call went to another car, a young black girl who was still considered a rookie. Good I thought, let her handle this crap, meanwhile I will be available in case something real happens. Well, I went into Hqs and there was the prisoner a smelly homeless man, who was ranting and raving. His captor was there and in front of her and on the corporals desk was a Luger! "Jim you know something about guns, the Corporal said, this is a Luger ain't it"? Yes is was, a 1914 chamber dated Erfurt model. It had no clip, sideplate or grips and had a bore like a sewer pipe but it was matching! Well, the homeless guy got written up for shoplifting but wasn't charged with the gun, because the detective said it wouldn't work! The gun went down to balistics since they didnt know what to do with it and it was later smelted down at Bethlehem Steel! I never refused another shoplifting call again.

11-10-2003, 11:16 AM	#2
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,152 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	Funny? BlindJim... that's a pretty sad story to me... what a tragic ending for a proud gun like a Luger! <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" /> Seriously...Thanks for the story... it really did make me smile. __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

11-11-2003, 06:00 PM	#3
Big Norm RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 1,864 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	BlindJim, yes, I have heard tales like this one too. I was talking to an asst. sheriff one day. He told me about a widow who brought in four Lugers and told the sheriff to "get rid of these things". The sheriff told the asst. sheriff to put them in the ovens. The asst sheriff told the sheriff that the Lugers were worth a lot of money that could be used to buy equipment for the department. The sheriff repeated his order to put them in the oven. I always figured that if a guy had four Lugers that they must have been good ones. How sad. Some police chiefs in this area will give collector guns to the local museums and then they will sell them to dealers for money for the museum. Big Norm

11-11-2003, 09:20 PM	#4
drbuster User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: San Mateo, California Posts: 1,432 Thanks: 2 Thanked 71 Times in 56 Posts	Sounds like BlindJim is from the city of Brotherly Love, my former home town! Great story, though.