Buy backs/seized gun sales.

[2000Yards]

What happens to the guns depends upon the department. Evidence firearms that are no longer needed are either destroyed or auctioned. I've personally helped sort through such lots. We ended up with piles of guns based on "Junk", "Parts Guns", "Cheap Guns", "Good Guns", "Hey, lookee here!"

Buy backs are probably destroyed.

So depending on the department policy, if I'm involved in a legal self-defense shooting and they take my gun for evidence, I may never see it again? I know there have been a few threads recently on people trying to get their guns back from police, but this sounds absurd. And another poster mentioned suicide guns - unless someone has NO next of kin, that gun rightly belonging to the heir/s of the suicide victim, not the police department. Can anyone shed more light on this?

 

[Dimis]

2000Yards
the self defence guns may or may not be returned depending on the department involved and how hard the legal gun owner fight to have his property returned

the suicide guns are a bit of a grey area because even tho they cant prosicute the "victom" they have still commited a crime (yes suicide is a crime) so thats probably gonna be a bit harder to get back even if it was great great gran papys war rifle and an heirloom its still evidence in the departments eyes and MAY (not garaunteed) fall to the evidence locker of doom an destruction

 

[hso]

if I'm involved in a legal self-defense shooting and they take my gun for evidence, I may never see it again

Most of the time the weapon is returned after the owner, or owner's agent, asks for it and there's no longer a need for it in evidence. That doesn't mean that they're always in good condition, but that doesn't mean they won't be either.

If it isn't claimed by the owner it goes to the auction or shredder.

Some departments try to contact the owner and let them know the firearm isn't needed for evidence any more. If the owner, or their agent, doesn't try to get the firearm back it can only sit around so long taking up space.

Suicide guns are rarely claimed by next of kin, but those that ask for them usually receive them pretty promptly around here.

The longer it sits in evidence, the less likely it is to make it back home.

 

[Grey_Mana]

For perspective, the DC government is trying to do an internal investigation, to figure out how new ambulances were donated to (not local) political donors, accidentally having the odometer and purchase dates falsified on the transfer paperwork.

I gotta figure that one ambulance costs more than a sack full of buyback guns.

 

[Landpimp]

for kicks, this is a post(with pics and reference info) from another forum about the Walther Anti tank pistol, like I said, only gun I have ever sold and it went to a better home
http://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fishing/187361-walther-kampfpistole-z.html


this is a suicide gun(I took the tag off it)....which happens to be a S&W US marked Victory 38spec in wonderfull shape, pretty sure it was shipped to the Bremerton Shipyard late in the war. Its "possible" it was just droped off by the widow and not used in the actual suicide......but doubtfull



every city, county, state, PD has there own policy's on evidence guns, lucky WA State for the most part is still cool

I have another neat story about police trade in's....but I will save that till ya know me better

 

[bigalexe]

They destroy them; imagine the drive by media backlash if a police confiscated and resold weapon was used in another crime.

I think its even more a crime if the department buys them for a low price ($100 even lets say) under the guise of "taking them off the street" and then resells them and profits from the affair. That is called fraud.