I was told by the court that I would get my money back from the dealer when the dealer got his money from the thief. Still have the evidence receipt dated 1976 and no money. Go figure. do the check with the local PD THEN buy or pass.
This sounds like the "court" was full of #$%^. Since when would it make any difference if the Dealer got his money from the Thief or not? Your "Contract" was with the Dealer.
The only exception to this might be that the shotgun was "consigned" to the Dealer and he was merely a transfer agent for the money. If the Dealer ever showed ownership of the shotgun then he should have forked over the dough you paid him.
As for PD checks, are they really the "final word" on whether a firearm is stolen or not?
Example:
You buy a firearm on July 1. The PD checks the status and it's "clean". You buy it from a guy who was introduced to you by a guy at work and it was a great deal.
On August 1, Fred and Frannie Furbel come home from a 3 month vacation and find his gun collection gone, stolen. He reports his favorite pistol (and other's) as stolen. You are stopped in October for a minor traffic offense like an inoperable taillight or such, and in the process, the new pistol you bought is removed from your possession and checked? Guess what, it is NOW listed as stolen, even though you did check. Guess who gets a ride in the back seat?
Buying guns from unknown parties is risky, even if the PD does check the firearm for you.