Buy backs/seized gun sales.

[Tiomoid]

Do the police ever re-sell Buy Back or seized guns? Is there anyplace short of gun shows and consignment gun stores (not counting pawn shops) to buy used cheap guns?

 

[chevyforlife21]

i think they destroy guns if they confiscate them sadly....

 

[maskedman504]

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

 

[PT1911]

locally I Know of one county that holds auctions every couple years to sell all confiscated weapons. just this past year there the shop I frequent won several sks's, single shot shotties, .22 autos, taurus 92's, glocks, smith's (even an old 1917 that saw both world wars) rugers,...etc...


the departments have discretion to do with the weapons what they wish... unfortunately, many do decide to destroy the guns... but only after the officers pick them clean....

 

[doc2rn]

^ agreed! the POs of our fair city used to own a pawn shop where they resold them. Got shut down inside of 2 years though. Now they all go over to the Landon Bldg's Basement. Not to long ago they let all the park rangers go in and pick a duty weapon in 9mm to differ the cost of having to buy them new Glocks like the POs got. Then traded up to 40s then back to 9s because they couldnt afford good ammo. See where this going? They use the confiscated ammo for target practice. If your gun is seized for any reason you will not get your ammo back. And you can bet that they did a forensic test on it while in their posession.

 

[Impureclient]

but only after the officers pick them clean....

Does this mean in this instance they get to keep them for free or do they
pay something to the department? Is it first come, first served?

 

[kingpin008]

Does this mean in this instance they get to keep them for free or do they pay something to the department? Is it first come, first served?

It means that if a few particularly nice or interesting examples happen to make their way into the pile of turned-in firearms but they somehow never make it into the final inventory, well, it must have been a clerical error.

 

[PT1911]

Does this mean in this instance they get to keep them for free or do they
pay something to the department? Is it first come, first served?

depends on the department.. I know of several officers that speak of times (before weapon destruction) where the old timers will walk into the evidence room and some sweet smith revolver walks out with them...

more often I am sure they buy them, though for amazingly low prices...

the above mentioned take place more in those areas where the weapons are destroyed rather than sold at auction or through some contract with a local retailer.

 

[Quoheleth]

I asked a friend who is an HPD officer what happens to the guns they confiscate. There is an official program (don't know if this is city or Harris County) where area FFLs are allowed to come and shop. I do not recall if it's a tagged sale or if it's auction. At any rate, it's FFL holders ONLY - individual officers need not arrive, b/c they won't be buying w/out an FFL.

He has a friend who owns a pawn shop that frequents these sales/auctions. He's been able to pick up several nice pieces at just slightly over his buddy's cost. If I tried to quote prices, I would be guessing so I won't.

That's how Houston does it. YMMV.

the departments have discretion to do with the weapons what they wish... unfortunately, many do decide to destroy the guns... but only after the officers pick them clean....

Probably not much, anymore. The age of slow SN checks is gone. In minutes, any officer/dept can look up a SN and see its history. While the average person isn't stupid enough to hock a "hot" gun, could you imagine a cop making a late-night beer run, accidentally forgetting and grabbing the "appropriated" j-frame, and get caught in a legal shooting ~ what kind of mess would he be in??? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I suspect not as much as it used to, with theft reports, etc., filed by insurance, police, etc. Too many layers to get tangled in.

Q

 

[oneounceload]

Is there anyplace short of gun shows and consignment gun stores (not counting pawn shops) to buy used cheap guns?

Garage sales - they're never displayed, but if I see any kind of sports equipment, I always ask, ESPECIALLY if it's a sale where an older person has died; many times, the kids coming in to sell off the stuff want nothing to do with the guns and sell for a fraction of their worth

 

[hso]

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.

 

[HoosierQ]

Here in Indiana most jurisdictions sell them...Indianapolis among them. Always a few glocks, usually a mini-14 or two, and boatloads of .22 and .25 caliber junk. Lots and lots of .22 rifles of all sorts.

 

[waterhouse]

I asked a friend who is an HPD officer what happens to the guns they confiscate. There is an official program (don't know if this is city or Harris County) where area FFLs are allowed to come and shop. I do not recall if it's a tagged sale or if it's auction. At any rate, it's FFL holders ONLY - individual officers need not arrive, b/c they won't be buying w/out an FFL.

That's what Texas Parks and Wildlife does as well. They do it as a silent auction for a group of guns, but you have to have an FFL to bid.

 

[chuckusaret]

I stop at garage sales often, but recently I have noticed that most people now want more for the old weapons than they are worth especially the old shotguns. I did pick up 4 old paper 12 gauge shot gun shells from early 1900 for $5.00, I was told they were made by the Robin Hood Powder Company.

 

[WVMountainBoy]

My department destroys them instead of risking the liability of a confiscated weapon turning back up. Had to watch them take sledge hammers to several nice 22 rifles not long ago. Theres sometimes when a weapon is slated for destruction and its accruments are sometimes left for the personnel to go through such as slings, magazines, ammo. The actual weapon is usually destroyed or rendered inoperable here at HQ then shipped for melt down.

 

[armoredman]

Tucson Police used to sell them in lots to FFLs before panty waists cried in horror. A friend with an FFl in Tucson got one lot, out of about 10-15 guns, one was halfway worth something, the others were garbage.

 

[jhco]

There was a thread on here about what they do with them. I think it was from LA or San Diego, at any rate they melt them down then dump them in the ocean.

 

[Throwingdown]

Try summitgunbroker - sells a lot of police firearms.

 

[chuckusaret]

The police buy back program does have its pluses. A $100 gift certificate for Bryco Jiminez or a Hi Point, what a deal. Even the Thugs on the streets avoid these two guns.

 

[toivo]

I would guess that buy-back guns are always destroyed. The whole purpose is to "get them off the street," and selling them puts them back out there. Confiscated guns may or may not be sold--I think it depends on the department and the political climate in their city.

 

[j-easy]

it would make way to much sense for them to sell seized guns and then use the proceeds to pay for more cops on the street. so they take a gun worth at least 50 bucks even if its crap, and turn it into 30 cents of steel

 

[Landpimp]

in WA most agency's do sell conviscated or evidence guns(we dont do buy back), some have requirements that only LE/Mil can buy them, but most dont have that policy. You would be shocked what price they dump the guns for. Also many use the evidence guns as trade material for new gear for the agency(smart) Some have come for OR as well

I bet 1/4 of my guns were evidence guns, even got a suicide gun nice I get 1st dibs and 1st chance to go thru them, even though I know what he paid for them he needs to make $ but I still get them for 1/2-2/3
s market value.

the only gun I ever sold came in as a evidence gun from Elma WA, was just an old Walther flare gun........but it has a twist....it was an anti tank pistol and as it turns out the only one of its type ever seen, paid $50 for it(as none of has a clue what it was)

well a few collectors(from all over the world) had a Google search set up for the certain type I had........I didnt want to sell it, but a true collector of them got ahold of me and we made a deal, he said name your price.....and I did its in better hands now

 

[woodybrighton]

an anti tank pistol
now thats a job that would suck

 

[Dimis]

I know my heart sank when i had to help do an inventory for Baltimore P.D. they had 4 gunrooms and a good chunk of the firearms were turn ins from churches doing the toys for guns programs or old ladies turning in there deceased husbands collection because they didnt know wht else to do now here comes the sad part...
as we did the inventory we had an officer with us the whole time so we got know these guys and had a descent conversation as the days went on so i asked the officer assigned to me whats gonna happen to all these guns (the turn ins not the evidence ones) he said they are gonna get destroyed just like the evidence... my jaw dropped and my body cringed... i couldnt believe it because alot of firearms there were never used in any inapropriate manner and were turned in on good faith as for the evidence i can understand theres some good bit of contraversy over things like that but the ones that were not used in crimes its a sad sad thing because there were some very nice firearms in this collection

 

[Landpimp]

Dimis....thankfully many very nice collections of widows guns have been saved, amazing what just gets droped off at the local PD.

it suprised me at 1st which county they(droped off collctions) mostly come from......then I thought about it and it made perfect since