You aren't recovering it from the theif. Stop moving the goal post. You said you don't think guilt is transferable from individual to another, so if the theif sold it to somebody else or gave it to a family member or friend, it follows that the new person would be using defensive force against you if you tried to take it back via offensive force.
In both instances of seperating individuals by time or transfer, both sides think they are using defensive force against the other.
Not moving the goal posts, trying to raise concerns about how a blanket plan to "restitute" people for the actions of long ago dead people might cause unintended consequences in the present.
I don't think guilt is transferable in the sense if your ancestor assaulted my ancestor that you owe me restitution or you should let me punch you in the stomach. You didn't punch me, your long dead ancestor assaulted my long dead ancestor, you never did anything to me though.
A stolen physical object, which is tangible, ie "property" and still exists today could be different though. Of course the question then becomes how do you adjudicate things which happened prior to the existence of anybody living today ? How would YOU do it ?.
