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 It's all too common in Mid-Missouri.

"There are firearms that go missing all the time," said Cole County Sheriff Greg White.

Missing guns can turn up anywhere:i n the hands criminals, or even at your local firearm re-seller.

But if it is sold to a local shop, can they find out it's stolen?

David Trim is the owner of Trim's Pawnbroker in Jefferson City, and he says it's a long shot.

"No, we have no way of knowing that. But what we do have is the Leads Online."

Which is something that can save both gun owners and law enforcement a lot trouble.

"The Leads Online is basically a website that the police department can get onto to find anything that we've done” said Trim. “Now if they have a serial number that they need to track, they can look that up very quickly."

That means some record keeping is in order on gun owner's part to ensure that if their guns do go missing, they have a way to track them down.

"I think that the key for people, it's like anything else: if you get new property, and it's serial number property, always keep a record of it," said White.

Even with services like Leads Online, authorities say nothing is fool-proof; you just have make sure you take every precaution possible. 

For more information on Leads Online, go to their website.