Nathaniel Firethorn
Member
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/newjersey/042303GUN.html
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In a state facing severe budget problems, McGreasy denies taxpayers a reasonable, reliable source of income. His tortured logic is exceeded only by his brazen corruption.April 23, 2003
McGreevey says state will no longer recycle its police guns
By MICHAEL DIAMOND and JOHN FROONJIAN Special Reports Unit, (609) 272-7227
The state government will destroy its used police guns instead of trading them in to gun dealers, Gov. James E. McGreevey announced Tuesday.
McGreevey's press spokes-man, Micah Rasmussen, acknowledged that the new policy, which is effective immediately, is the result of a special report by The Press of Atlantic City that examined how most New Jersey law-enforcement agencies sell used guns to dealers in exchange for a discount on the cost of new weapons.
Some of the recycled police guns, which are then sold to the general public, have been used in crimes.
The no-trade-in policy will apply to the 12,000 guns owned by state government, McGreevey said in a statement issued to The Press of Atlantic City; other law-enforcement agencies on the local and county level are not covered by McGreevey's order and may continue to trade in their weapons. But some, such as the Cape May County Sheriff and police departments in Cherry Hill, Camden County, Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, and the city of Trenton say they, too, will no longer trade in used weapons.
"While the trading-in of older weapons to vendors may have been fiscally prudent, one cannot attach a price to the safety of New Jersey's families," McGreevey said.
The state guns will be melted down, he added, to avoid "even the slimmest of chances that a state-issued weapon could be used in the commission of a crime."
McGreevey said he decided to ban future trade-ins on the state level after consulting with acting Attorney General Peter Harvey, Corrections Commissioner Devon Brown and Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn Harris.
The Press reported Sunday that thousands of guns, including some with high-capacity magazines that can no longer be manufactured, have gone back into circulation at a time when law-enforcement agencies have worked to reduce the number of guns available on the street. Some of the weapons have been linked to murders, suicides and aggravated assaults, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The trade-ins were done to defray the cost of buying new weapons. Gun dealers, eager to get their hands on the old police guns, offered deep discounts to those law-enforcement agencies willing to trade them in.
But Harvey said it is more important that the guns be destroyed to ensure that they not be used in a crime. Even with reasonable safeguards, he noted, it is difficult to maintain control of those weapons.
"Statistics show that a violent crime in New Jersey occurs once every 15 minutes and 57 seconds, and weapons are used in a majority of those crimes," Harvey said. "The proliferation of hand guns onto the streets poses a serious safety concern for every community."
Harvey's predecessor, former Attorney General John Farmer, refused to allow the State Police to trade in more than 2,000 guns when new weapons were purchased two years ago; the old guns have since been stored in a warehouse. They, along with other state weapons, will now be melted down.
The Press discovered that other state agencies, such as the Department of Corrections, had continued to trade in weapons. In fact, the DOC soon expects to receive more than 500 new weapons, the cost of which was completely covered by the trade-in of older weapons.
But that will be the department's last trade-in, according to Commissioner Brown, who said he agrees with McGreevey that it's better to keep the guns off the street.
Since 1984, the DOC has traded in nearly 1,000 weapons; ten were used in crimes. One involved a robbery in Baton Rouge, La. Another was seized in a drug arrest in Birmingham, Ala.
The State Police have traded in more than 2,200 weapons; 10 were linked to crimes.
Meanwhile, Camden County Prosecutor Vince Sarubbi said he will urge the police chiefs association to stop the practice of trading in guns.
"This is done for financial reasons," he noted. "If it saves one life or prevents one crime from occurring, it will be worth it to destroy these guns."
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