Arizona Man Buys Used Golf Clubs, Finds Loaded Gun in Bag
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.31.15
There is nothing that bargain hunters like more than finding something neat or unexpected in their purchases, but one Arizona man’s acquisition took a turn for the eyebrow-raising when he found a loaded .22 pistol in a golf bag. According to the Mohave Daily News, Mel Grewing found a set of secondhand golf clubs in a thrift shop in Sedona, and despite already owning his own set, decided to purchase the clubs and the bags they came in. When he got home on Wednesday, he inspected the bags in the hopes of finding additional goodies. Instead of balls or other golf-related gear, however, Grewing found a Browning Arms match pistol with magazine loaded, safety off, and a round in the chamber.
“If a child would have pulled that out and pulled the trigger, something could have happened,” Grewing, an experienced recreational shooter, told the Daily News.
Grewing drove back to the store and tried to return the gun to its owner, but store employees had no records of who brought the golf clubs in. According to the New York Daily News, the pistol was then unloaded and brought to the Bullhead City Police Department, which will run the gun’s serial number to check whether the pistol had been stolen or used a in a crime. If it comes up clean, it will probably be returned to Grewing, who legally—if unknowingly—purchased it.
Law enforcement officials encourage people who find firearms to turn them in. In many states, if the firearm was found as part of a purchase that would make the finder the legal owner of the gun, such as buying a home, then the weapon may be released back to the buyer.
Grewing stated that he owned several other pistols like the .22, and indicated that if the gun is released back to him, he would likely give it to his wife to introduce her to target shooting.
