So why again were the police called? If no crime was committed why bother the police? Where I live most any occupant of that building would have been more than capable of making the firearm safe and securing it until it could be claimed by its rightful owner, and would have done so. We are an open carry state in the process of enacting a law that allows every resident to carry concealed. Kids learn to shoot right after learning to ride which happens just about the time they start school. Several of our junior rifle club members have competed well at the national and olympic level. Guns are just a part of everyday life and not a police issue.

Coop-
You neglected to mention the make and type of the firearm. This would affect my course of action.

In my town; Make the firearm safe remove mag and cycle the slide leaving slide back. Do this with a gloved hand to preserve any finger print evidents. Down the road determine if it was used in a crime or legal. EITHER way some one has some explaining to do. P.S. Sad state of affairs but people do lye!

Yes.

Remove the mag, cycle it, after making sure the chamber is clear, then decock it. I carry but never with the hammer cocked. My Dad is an old cowboy guess I am too, I carry a revolver on a empty chamber. As a CCW permit holder I have a obligation to everyone around me to practice safe gun handling. I guess I never see the reason to carry ready, unless you watch too many action movies.

Unload it ,dec@ck it and try to find the owner.

I shall play your charade, Sir! First, I should ask if your clue of actually having a safety identifies this as a semi-auto pistol, precluding a revolver,(barring the unlikely event of encountering a Webley-Fosbery)...That makes it an SAA. You say the type of firearm has nothing to do with it... Next, shall we consider that the building in question is actually a gun club or firing range, or possibly even some type of training facility? A museum? Simply ask whom it may belong to? Tip your hand, Sir! Give another clue!

+1 for HammerGun I am impressed. They only thing I can say is Willey Suttons old Quote" when you hear hoof beats behind you think horses not Zebras". But that was a good catch and to be truthful if I found a 9000 dollar I might unload it and wipe it down.

Since Mr. Cooper asked for a phrase but none came to mind with the above Blog. I will leave you a Chestnut my dad told me That served me and was passed to my children. It works with life as well as guns. If you must drink. Drink something that smells; so they know your drunk and not stupid!

What Ed J said. Then I would call the Sheriff he's a friend.

In Clays defence as to type of weapon he did say Hammer Cocked, Safety off. Some autos don't have a Manual safety but All revolvers don't

No sir, Latest I saw was 8500 a few years ago but with inflation vs market decline and who wants it also near perfect condition, who knows!

Oh I just can't wait to hear the answer that Clay has waiting for us. It really is as simple as unloading the thing and taking it back to the station, but you know something else is coming out of left field that no one could possibly discern from info given, but it's obvious to Clay so in his mind it should be obvious to us...

I am kind of surprised somebody in the military didn't write down the 4 Weapons Safety Rules. As far as clearing it, these are the only 4 Rules you should go buy.

1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

Some guys touched on it, but I dont believe anyone gave all 4 Weapon Safety Rules.

As far as the LE aspect, you would want to use gloves, and bag the weapon as evidence. Just because it might have been a regular joe citizen lawfully carrying, doesn't mean that it actually was. Try to get in touch with the person who dialed 911. If it was a concealed carry citizen who dropped his pistol, lecture him on the great new RETENTION holsters. Possibly smack him up the backside of his head for his stupidity. *JOKING*

Mr. Cooper the last time I saw that protocol being followed the Nassau County Police [complete with bomb squad] where raiding a Hells Angel club house in Hempstead. After a prospect shot a detective's son during a robber.

Clay,
In this case, the weapon could be cleared without touching the safety.
Step 1. Drop the magazine.
Step 2. Retract the slide.
Step 3. Engage the slide stop.
Step 4. Inspect the chamber.
(Skip step 3 if there is no slide stop)
No bang.

Clay,
On the theory that anything can happen, I have to agree. It all depends on the situation and the terrain.
But I still think it would be safer to clear the weapon on the spot than carrying it around in Condition Zero, esp. if the conference room is on the upper floors of a tall office building with crowded elevators:-)

Good morning Clay how are you doing. In the NYC technique of Stab and Grab; that's a method of how you purse snatch on a crowded NY street. You and a couple of friends come up to a victim. Surround and threaten. Relieve them of their valuables then use the weapon of choice a box cutter [not a knife] to cut the mark [should give him or her something more immediate to focus on]. Then everybody takes off in a different direction to meet later. This resulted in a death in the 80s because the perpetrator didn't know were to cut and hit an artery. As far as the gun in the rest room that's a favored place to hide while the store is emptied and locked so you only have to deal with store clerks and not an off duty cop. So I think someone was on their way to commit a crime and chickened out for some reason. Women might forget a lot of stuff but not their hand bag. If any of you gentlemen want a look into a very well respected criminal mind; I recommend two books by Willie Sutton " I Willie and Were the Money Isn't" an easy and informative read on tactics and execution. I met him as a kid at my fathers real estate lawyer {George Herz} his pro bono lawyer. I remember him as a really nice man; for a man that I later found out that spent some time on the FBI's most wanted list, robbed millions of dollars from banks and escaped from three maximum security prisons. He is one of the reason that banks operate the way they do today and you can get more money robbing a Chinese tack out.

Carl-
I don't follow the reasoning behind the woman hiding the gun in the rest room. Why not keep it in her purse?
Al Pacino knew he was going to be patted down (in "The Godfather"), so he had to have a weapon hidden elsewhere than on his person. How is that tactic applicable to the woman shopper here?

As a post script if there is mutilation involved; and the body is left in the open. It harkens back to when the population in the old country was illiterate and they dealt with more show and tell. In more modern times they practice what the police called the Gemini Method made famous by Roy De Mayo were you just disappeared.

Carl,
In Greek mythology, Apollo's curse on Cassandra was that she could foresee the future, but no one would believe her predictions. I think we may be getting a bit off topic.