Every year, thousands of guns are stolen from their owners and officials say those firearms sometimes end up in the hands of unknowing consumers.
RICHLAND COUNTY (WACH) -- Lawrence Terry says he will never forget the day of April 14.
He was pulled over for a traffic violation and at the time, Terry who has a concealed weapons permit, was carrying a .9 mm handgun he got from a pawn shop.
“He asked me where the handgun was and I told him my pocket,” says Terry. “We went from there.”
Terry was arrested. His incident report from the Richland County Sheriff's Department states the gun he bought was reported stolen from Alabama in 2002.
I thought it was joke. I really thought he was playing. I did not believe him.”
Terry was charged with receiving stolen goods, but it was dropped after he showed a judge the receipt from his 2007 purchase.
According to officials, there is no federal or state system that businesses can use to verify if an item has been stolen, so there is no law requiring them to do so.
However, local agencies like the Richland County Sheriff's Department have the power to create their own regulations in regards to how merchants track valuable property.
A spokesperson says the department requires area pawn shops to enter merchandise information into LeadsOnline.
Sheriff's deputies manage the program and if something is reported stolen, they get an alert.
The system isn't fool proof though. In Terry's case, authorities believe the serial number could have been copied incorrectly.
Terry adds investigators found the pawn shop which sold him the handgun uses LeadsOnline and had submitted the gun information.
Terry still wants more rules put into place, so incidents like his can be prevented from happening to others.
“The main thing is who dropped the ball and how can we fix it?" Terry asks.
Until stricter and sweeping reform is passed, Terry says he will never purchase another used firearm.
If you’re shopping for a used gun, officials recommend the following:
- Purchase a firearm from a reputable and licensed dealer.
- If there is any question that a gun may be stolen and purchased unknowingly, call authorities. They can run the serial number of the item.
- Keep an extra copy of the purchase receipt when carrying the firearm.
Who should be responsible for stolen guns at pawn shops? Leave a comment below to weigh in.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH