Once a weapon enters "the system", a lot of funny and time-consuming things seem to happen. Testing, checking, not sure of its location, not sure of the status of the case, lack of signatures, and so forth. The main thing seems to be -- if you know that it's in the system, periodic status checks need to be completed. If not, I guess that there's a chance that it could become a manhole cover in a photo op! Good deal on your recovery of the weapon.