Gun magazine found on Brownsville campus

A UTRGV groundskeeper found a 9 mm gun magazine with 16 rounds Sept. 26 on the grass along the sidewalk near the Central Utility Plant on the Brownsville campus, according to University Police.

Assistant Chief of Police Van Slusser told The Rider it would be difficult to “figure out” the make and model of the pistol that would accept that magazine.

“We just have a brand name on the magazine,” Slusser said. “It doesn’t have any other identifying marks. So, there’s really no way for us to be sure.”

He also said the owner of the gun magazine has yet to be identified.

“Nobody has claimed that item,” Slusser said. “It’s not something that’s illegal to possess. So, we processed it more as a found property and for safekeeping. … If somebody were to come forward and be able to tell us, you know, some way definitively, that that’s their property, we would release it back to them.

“There really isn’t any restriction on … having that ammunition or the magazine. … It’s obviously not a safe thing to do, to have that laying around, but it’s not something that was illegal to possess.”

No charges would be pressed if an individual claimed the gun magazine unless it was an “extreme, extenuating circumstance,” according to the assistant chief.

“So, if it was, let’s say, a convicted felon, or somebody who was subjected to a protective order or something along those lines, where they would be prohibited from possessing firearms, that would be the only instance where there might be some … criminal repercussions,” Slusser said. “But, barring those extreme circumstances, there wouldn’t be any consequences for claiming this item.”

He said the magazine does not belong to University Police.

“We use name-brand magazines,” Slusser said. “And this is not the type of magazine that we use for our pistols.”

He said he does not know if the magazine might have come from another law enforcement agency working in the area.

“One of our first thoughts was that it could have possibly belonged to a [U.S.] Border Patrol agent,” Slusser said. “ … We reached out and we let them know that we had … found this magazine in the area, but nobody’s claimed it as of yet.”

To report lost items or suspicious behavior on campus, call 882-7777.