When I reported my license plate stolen, they told me that, should I ever find it, that I should not put it back on unless I wanted to be pulled over at gunpoin

When I reported my license plate stolen, they told me that, should I ever find it, that I should not put it back on unless I wanted to be pulled over at gunpoint. I never did find it; they sent me a new one. By carefully examining the holes, I was able to help them determine that it had been unscrewed, rather than having somehow come out on its own. We only have rear plates here, so I had no plates for a short time.