Police departments grapple with what to do with seized firearms

[swampy]

We don't want any MA compliant guns going out of state in any manner. I believe an auction house in Franklin NH does an auction a couple times a year that includes guns that PDs put up from their evidence or surrendered weapon stocks.

In MA they could just turn them over to a local sportsman club for redistribution...all the ammo surrendered or confiscated too.

 

[Bonesinium]

In my small NH town with only 5 full time cops and 2 part timers, and it may have been even less when it happened...The police chief and officer in charge of the evidence room were both forced to resign (in lieu of being fired) in part (several other issues as well) because they were stealing from the evidence room. Pretty sure the NH law requires items unclaimed or not wanted to be auctioned off after a certain time period if they exceed a certain value. Instead, the two would just keep what they wanted and trash the rest. They were also growing weed in the evidence room. This was all discovered during an AG investigation after a county inmate was caught trying to smuggle drugs into prison that he stole from the evidence room having been left at the police station complete unattended repeatedly.

I don't really have much faith in PD's handing evidence with any level of competence or ethics.

 

[HARRYM]

Police stealing from evidence rooms is SOP.

 

[TruthTellers]

Police stealing from evidence rooms is SOP.

It doesn't stop at the evidence rooms either.

 

[NHAtHeart]

How about just auctioning off the unwanted guns that can be auctioned. Then donating that money to a veterans cause or homeless shelter?

You're so cute, you think a government agency would donate money instead of using it to buy more tools of oppression?

 

[MichaelJames1971]

They can have a reverse gun buy back program. People can go to the police station with gift cards to trade for guns. $200 for an AR or AK, $100 for a hand gun, and $50 for a standard rifle or shot gun.

You're missing a key component of the article, which also ties-into something I saw over the weekend in PA. I paid a visit to a "tactical gun shop" to have a look-around - at the entrance, there was a sign stating that due to a lack of consumer sales, and the cost of "liability insurance", gun sales would be for LEOs and 'first responder' types only. The store is now a cop-shop, Joe Citizen and his money/rights no longer welcome.

Since-when does a gun-seller need high-dollar liability insurance? Why would 'liability' be an issue in a gun sale? Many believe that the current laws no-longer protect them from tort lawsuits. Cops WILL NOT 'sell' guns to the general public for fear of liability lawsuits when those guns are used in suicides or criminal activity. Gun stores and gun shops are dealing with this as well, and are considering how to best "manage their risk".