A Goodwill employee was shocked to find a loaded .22-caliber revolver in a coat in a donation bin in Augusta, Ga., on Dec. 8. The gun, an RG-14, was turned over to the Richmond County Sheriff's office, reported CBS.
The gun was found by a Goodwill worker who was checking the coat's pockets before transferring it to the sales area. The gun was immediately reported to a manager and given to the sheriff's office, where it was discovered that the gun had not been reported missing, noted Fox News.
Officials are trying to find the gun's owner through its serial number, reported WSB-TV.
Roughly three guns are found every year inside donated clothing, explained Barry L. Paschal, senior director of marketing and communications at Goodwill Middle Georgia, reported Fox News. Bullets are also regularly found in clothes and are collected by staff until a large enough supply warrants a trip to the sheriff's office, said Paschal, reported CBS.
Last year, Goodwill collected more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition from its donation bins and gave it to the sheriff's office, where it was either used for training or destroyed, reported The Augusta Chronicle.
Goodwill often receives strange items in its donation bins, such as alcohol, unhygienic clothing items and on one occasion, a tombstone, noted WSB-TV.