If you were out for a walk and found a loaded gun, would you know what to do? That happened recently in Maplewood, Minnesota. Police there say they can't recall the last time it happened.

The woman said she was walking her dog in the area of Century Avenue South and Linwood Avenue East when she saw what looked like a toy gun. She says she picked it up and once she felt the weight of it, she quickly realized she was holding a real gun. 

Maplewood police responded to collect the weapon, which was loaded. A broken gun holster was found near the curb, about 15 feet away.

Lt. Joe Steiner says the gun is a Springfield XD 40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

"In this case, a likely scenario is that someone had it on top of their vehicle, and as they were driving around the corner of the street, it looks like it may have fallen off," Steiner said.

"The biggest risks are someone with a criminal or a nefarious intent to use the firearm if they find it. Or obviously, the most concerning worry would be a child finding the gun and harming themselves or someone else," Steiner said when asked about the danger of having a firearm out in the open.

Steiner says law enforcement expects gun owners to be responsible.

"And a part of that responsibility is being able to account for your firearms at all times. And if you do lose your firearm, or if it's stolen, you need to report that to the police immediately, including providing the serial number for that firearm so it can be entered as lost or stolen," Steiner said.

Steiner says so far, the gun hasn't been reported stolen or missing. Police ran the semi-automatic through NIBIN, a ballistic evidence database. Police say it came back clear or not connected to any crime scene. 

So where did the gun come from? And who does it belong to? That's all part of the investigation. 

"There is a shooting range that St Paul Police Department operates. We have spoken with the St Paul Police Department, and they do not have any reports of a missing firearm from their officers," Steiner said.

Police say they sent the information to the ATF's National Tracing Center to try to get an investigative lead. The trace may be delayed because of the government shutdown.

Investigators say if you come across anything that looks like a gun, call the police. 

When asked if the owner could face charges, police say a negligence charge is possible in some cases, but only if a child finds the gun.