What to Do If You Find a Stranger's Gun in a Restroom

Forgotten pistols in public restrooms are more common than you'd think, especially as more holsters get loosened for bathroom breaks and never make it back on. Dave Merrill at RECOIL lays out exactly what to do if you're the one who finds the gun.

Key points

• How it happens: Merrill notes many IWB holsters rely on belt pressure, not positive retention, so carriers often pull the gun off before sitting down and simply walk away without it.
• Don't touch it: The article advises against moving or clearing the firearm yourself, since you don't know its condition, modifications, or whether it's drop-safe.
• Document first: Merrill recommends photographing the gun's location before doing anything else, in case you need to describe the scene later.
• Report immediately: Depending on where you are, that means alerting an employee, asking someone to get help, or calling a non-emergency police line, then standing by until someone responsible takes over.
• Stay put: The piece stresses guarding the area so no one else, especially a kid, stumbles onto it before authorities arrive.

Quick take

None of this is complicated, but it does require a little inconvenience and a willingness to get involved instead of walking past it. Merrill's bottom line is pretty simple: take control, report it, and don't pocket a gun that isn't yours no matter how tempting "finders keepers" sounds. That's good advice whether you carry yourself or not.

Read the full story: Dave Merrill