The point of Small Claims Court is to not have to spend money on an attorney.
Criminal complaints are free. You don't need an attorney. Just file charges on them. In lots of cases, the final disposition of a criminal case includes full restitution.
This.
Buddy of mine has a similar issue. Filed a criminal complaint with the local PD. For some reason after the detective showed up and were able to confirm the existence of the firearm in question, things began to resolve themselves pretty quickly.