Why do people blank them out in pics? I really dont see the reason for it. Please explain what I am missing, I dont see how it is any different than someone knowing the serial number on my DVD player.
Same goes for license plate numbers, people drive around all day with thousands people looking at their plates all of whom have the ability to just follow you home, yet they will blur it out in a pic.
Is it just people being overly cautious?
Anyone can just report it stolen if you are not the original owner and cause you a whole lot of trouble, even if you have proof it is yours, still won’t be fun.
Really not sure how that would work at all, even if they have your gun serial number they still have to know where you live, and a bill off sale clears it up instantly. Might be a problem if you buy guns of the street and have no proof of sale.
Same goes for vehicles, anyone can walk up my driveway, get my licence number and vin number and report it stolen. 2 mins later I have all the proof that it is mine.
I’m pretty sure it is a combination of factors the cause others not to show the number. One may have already been mentioned, but others often are fear of the unknown, so to speak.
It is logical to think that maybe somehow the number can be traced back to you if the right (or wrong) person gets hold of it. Then that might lead to having your location revealed, as well as other personal information you would rather be kept secret.
Probably not really cause for concern, but most just choose to play it safe.
Because some people may have made a private purchase or they didn’t retain proof of purchase. I am sure that I don’t have proof of every lower that I have. Or a few others for that matter.
I suppose it is possible for some douche to call or go to his local PD and make a report. Who knows.
Does it really matter? It only takes a matter of seconds to remove the serial number from your pictures.
Many people also edit out their license plate when they put up pictures of their vehicle.
It’s so easy… why not?
As far as firearms are concerned, it is my understanding that people have filed fraudulent insurance claims with guns/serial numbers obtained from internet pictures. I know when I frequentd truck forums the reasoning for blacking out your plates was that so no one could use that info to find out where you live, then come steal your vehicle, stereo equipment, etc.
To answer your first question no, a bill of sale will not instantly clear up any matters of ownership of a gun because they are not “registered and regulated” in nearly all states as the ownership of an auto is.
As far as LE is concerned, if you have been lawfully stopped and lawfully searched and the officers finds the gun and runs the serial, it comes back stolen, that’s it you are going to jail for possession of stolen property. It will come out in the wash, later, after your arrest, you post bond and a trail is held.
Then the case of a false report of a crime would be pursued by LE and if the gun was reported stolen in another state I’m sure the ATF would get involved and that would cause even more headaches for all involved including you.
The same does not hold true for a vehicle, for the simple fact that each state is required by law to register ownership of every auto in that state and to allow every other state access to those registrations files via computer for LE purposes.
No such laws exist nor are maintained for LE regarding guns.
In most states there is no all inclusive database of firearms, when a gun is encountered all that can be done is a simple check for stolen. If the gun is not reported stolen its not going to have any file in NCIC.
If a gun is reported stolen wouldn’t the police be smart to ensure that it is in fact the property of the person reporting it? I mean really, what ever happened to ‘innocent until PROVEN guilty’?
I would think that the person reporting the stolen weapon would have to PROVE it was theirs by showing a legal receipt for it BEFORE anyone was hauled off the jail. If no receipt is produced by the person reporting the stolen gun they are hauled off to jail for filing a false police report.
When did the old saying that: ‘possession is 9/10ths of the law’, go out the window?
Well, it would make sense but its not the case.
When we take reports of stolen its assumed you are a victim of a crime and most departments let Burglary/ID work out ownership or just let the insurance companies fight it out if the stuff is categorized as unrecoverable.
Thats why we have false report crimes and in most states they are felonies.
Meant to deter exactly just that.
Don’t take this personally; but I don’t think it’s any of your damned business? :rolleyes:
Actually it is my business, and anyone else here that might post a pic and not think to do it. Posting that it is none of my business, when it has been posted that it could possibly lead to legal issues, is pretty ignorant and not helpful at all.
While I would consider the gentleman who made that comment a good guy, the response was a bit harsh. Seems as though your reason for asking is harmless and generic enough not to warrant such judgment.
Plus, as with all the other threads here, folks can learn from the information and decide for themselves what they should do.
As stated by Carlos, don’t take it personally.
I won’t speak for Carlos, but I interpreted his response differently - that the serial number itself is simply none of your business, any more than his socsec number. It could be that it was, in fact, the snarky comment that you guys read it as.
I’m not hard to find, serial numbers or not, license plate or not. I’m all over the internet, my name is pretty unique…
My reasoning for my own pics is that I want to avoid any potential for misuse, as has been pointed out above. I’m pretty much a live and let live guy. A couple of the guns I’ve had have been face to face, private sales, and I have/had no paperwork to prove it. The government approved the rest. I know the Chief of Police on a first-name basis, but I still don’t want to see him in a situation where he has reason to come find me.
I black mine out for the same reason I would black my license plate, socsec number, DL number, address, etc. It’s a privacy issue.
I laughed when I read this.
Do you seriously think that the police would waste their time on this? Actually making someone prove that something is stolen?
No offense to LEO’s out there, but I have found that in every town I have lived in LEO’s treat property theft as the absolute lowest thing on their list of concerns. There is absolutely no investigation put forward regarding the possible sale/transport of stolen goods, and the entire purpose of a police report has become nothing more then to simply have something to offer to your insurance company for the purpose of your claim.
I literally think police officers must laugh inside after they suggest going to pawn shops with your serial numbers in order to potentially locate your stolen goods.
What experience do I have you ask? 7,000 dollars worth of outdoors equipment, and art supplies (plus a student ID) stolen from a storage unit on the West Coast. Several bike’s of friends lost all over the country. A friends house getting robbed in the Rocky Mountains, and a student class room that was robbed in my current location. The police response in every situation was exactly the same. Utter and absolute boredom (as in looking at their watch) boredom.
As for the OP, blurring out personal information is a good practice online, and there are reasons for it in every situation you would come across, but ultimately your right in that it doesn’t really matter. If someone really is out to get a person, they will find a way. You can block out your serial number/or license plate, but your IP address is still pretty easy to find.
I used to think so until I realized that if some anti-gun hippie actually did that, they’d be on the hook for filing a false report.
You can block out your serial number/or license plate, but your IP address is still pretty easy to find.
An IP address is basically useless info, knowing someone’s city, state and service provider doesnt lead you to their house. Plus add the fact that people can be at work, on public wifi, stealing their neighbors service, …
I do it… because everyone else does!
I never put much real thought into it, but I did follow the natural assumption that everyone else knew something about it and thought it was a wise choice. I followed the Jones’ lead…
I guess as I read this, I realized that of the unknown number of firearms I have from my Pap, Dad, and Uncles… more of them are not on paper than are on paper. So it would make sense too some degree to not advertise for LEO/FEDs that I have blah-blah serial number rifle/handgun. Keep it discrete, keep it quiet.
My one pal used to work for a company that cleaned out abandoned storage lockers and also homes from folks that passed away, he would find all sorts of handguns and long guns. Many got dropped into a pocket. I would guess he should not take pictures of them all and post them on the web!
On a gross note, he also found many gold capped teeth that rotted and fell out and the old folks saved. He has a small box full of half rotted and half gold teeth from the mouths of the passed. Kind of freaks me out.
If he ever posts pictures of them on the web, he should make sure and blur them out as each tooth is uniquely identifiable. I’m just sayin’.