Well that does it...I'm officially depressed

[DontBurnMyFlag]

I went down to the evidence locker in my department the other day. What I stumbled upon dropped my jaw to the floor and my heart as well.

Three large rubber-maid trashcans full of long guns and handguns just waiting to be destroyed. There were well over 100 guns. Many of them were used in a crime, confiscated from a criminal or were taken in a lawful circumstance. Others were actually weapons that people turned in after a relative died or just a gun they didnt want any more. And nobody can get em dagnabbit. They have to go to the prosecutors office and be....melted down.

There were quite a few modern pistols that were in very good condition. Older rifles, lever actions and side by side shotguns etc.

Just thought Id share my sorrow

And you dont want to know what we keep in the vault set aside for all our door to door confiscations

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

too bad the department can't auction them off and make some $ to upgrade police equipment....

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

Now I hope personally people will accept my opinions as fact. But I would have no quarrel with the department selling them to law abiding citizens, or at least to a gun store to allow citizens to buy em. Melting em will do no good.

Selling them for police equipment would be a good idea as well. Seeing is how our marksman for the tac team has to buy his own rifle, scope, range finder, thermometer, books, gear etc etc. Thats a hefty chunk of change.

Also, Im treading lightly in regards to what should be done with them. Simply because a topic such as this has all the ingredients to spiral out of control into a politically charged argument.

 

[ceetee]

You suck.



Okay, you don't suck. Our current system sucks. I wonder what it would cost (and how much chance a person would have of succeeding) if a guy was to hire an attorney and sue a particular city for wanton destruction of public property. I mean, if the city owns the guns, it would make a lot of sense to use them to raise capital for said city by legally selling them to law-abiding citizens, don'tcha think? And since said city is not using them to raise capital, couldn't that be "wanton destruction of public property"? Imagine the furor if they chopped up a bunch of used playground equipment and melted it down...

 

[Agouti]

Write the press. Everybody loves a good bakesale. You know how them liberals think, I can't wait to see when the military has to have a bakesale, bla bla bla, this is their dream come true. And mention what has already been said.

Also, who is this prosecutor? What is he like?

 

[Hoppy590]

Others were actually weapons that people turned in after a relative died or just a gun they didnt want any more

even here in MA where guns are SOO EVIL. the police are over run with guns. so now they only destroy the ones used in crimes, and sell off the turn ins and what nots to local shops. i had the luck of being there when the detectives droped off a pile of .22's and shotguns

 

[James T Thomas]

no more tax increases!

Perhaps you can play the political game and appeal to the chief, mayor, commissioners, etc. that this is a great source of funds to supplament the department budget -in this time of short funding and great taxpayer burden to support law enforcement.

Wouldn't it be a great embarassment, expecially a election time, if the voting public became aware of the elimination of such a readily available source of income to help offset the terrible burden of taxes the people bear?

 

[2RCO]

I wonder if a guy could get a contract just to buy the parts. That way the Anti's get their victory "The Evil Receivers" are destroyed but all the other parts are saved. People always need parts for existing guns. I know I would be interested in such a contract.

My Father is in the Steel business one of the most evil things I have personally seen in my life was a load of guns from a Metropolitan PD --I think it was Austin go through a Shredder. In Seattle they used to dump them straight into the melt pot. Very sad !

 

[CDignition]

Who cares?/ Grind em up, Melt em down. They're just tools, like hammers and screwdrivers. Use em as such.

 

[Gordon]

What REALLY chaps my hide is I wonder how many of those guns were stolenfrom legally registered owners? The 'protect and serve' crowd seems less than eager to run gun #s that they come across and try to contact the owners and prosecute who they took them from for possesion of stolen property!

 

[GunTech]

My wife had to take a mint Maxim gun to the steel mill for destruction. Brass water jacket, tool kit and everything. Not registered and no museum wanted it. She said she almost cried.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Selling them for police equipment would be a good idea as well. Seeing is how our marksman for the tac team has to buy his own rifle, scope, range finder, thermometer, books, gear etc etc. Thats a hefty chunk of change.

This truly is sad.

"Yeah, you have to go purchase your own equipment on your dime, while I go turn in these $50,000 worth of firearms to be destroyed."

"Can't afford it? Too bad, just buy some crappy equipment at the expence of the citizens you are protecting.":banghead:

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

I agree, I'm sure new vests, patrol cars, shotguns, tazers, pepper spray, etc. could be put to good use with the money....instead, the taxpayers foot the bill or the officers have to suffer with less than ideal equipment.

 

[Coronach]

What REALLY chaps my hide is I wonder how many of those guns were stolenfrom legally registered owners? The 'protect and serve' crowd seems less than eager to run gun #s that they come across and try to contact the owners and prosecute who they took them from for possesion of stolen property!

Actually, every department I know is required to run any firearm placed in the property room (evidence, destruction, safekeeping) through NCIC. I'm pretty sure this is state law, possibly federal law, and even if it isn't, it's good policy for multiple reasons.

Mike

 

[Hoppy590]

Who cares?/ Grind em up, Melt em down. They're just tools, like hammers and screwdrivers. Use em as such.

the problem is, every day it gets harder and harder to make a new gun. the prices are constantly rising and these tools cost more and more

a hammer will never have an import ban against it. you will never have to go to a federaly licensed hammer dealer to get a new hammer. screwdrives will not be required to be serial numbered. and last time i checked you dont need any tool manufactering licenses

 

[GigaBuist]

Selling off the guns that were turned in seems fine.

Selling off the ones seized is another matter: Do we really want to give cities a financial incentive to seizing guns? I don't.

 

[CDignition]

Hoppy, that simply isn't true. I have been in manufacturing for 21 years, and it is cheaper now to make things than it ever was. With the advent and utilization of High seed CNC and solid modeling, it is faster and more cost effective than ever.

 

[ceetee]

So why can't I buy a $350.00 AR then, CD? Fact is, I can buy a well-used gun a lot cheaper than a new one, and in the case of many firearms, get a better product. This is an open call to any attorneys in the house: What would it take to sue a city or county government for destruction of public property? Or dereliction of duty, in letting a valuable source of income go to waste?

 

[Gifted]

That may be true, CDignition, but the fact remains that you have a considerable amount of money there. If the department was melting down jewelry or cars in such a way as to kill 90%+ of the value you'd hear about it. But guns, well, you melt $50,000 in guns into maybe a hundred bucks of scrap steel, and it's perfectly fine.

 

[geekWithA.45]

This shouldn't surprise or offend anyone.

It is the official policy of the dark State of New Jersey to take any and all steps possible to reduce the number of firearms in and available for civilian posession.

THAT should offend you.

The means/tactics implemented towards that policy are mere details.

 

[quatin]

From another perspective. Isn't it also a matter of liability if one of the firearms auctioned off were to malfunction and cause injury/damages?

 

[lance22]

Yeah, that makes me depressed, too!

 

[BigBlock]

From another perspective. Isn't it also a matter of liability if one of the firearms auctioned off were to malfunction and cause injury/damages?

Doubt it. If you buy a crappy gun from gunsamerica.com can you sue them? Not really.

 

[quatin]

Doubt it. If you buy a crappy gun from gunsamerica.com can you sue them? Not really.

I thought you can. If you buy a gun from a dealer and it blows up in your face due to something that's not your fault, why can't you sue the dealer?

 

[ABTOMAT]

Hoppy, that simply isn't true. I have been in manufacturing for 21 years, and it is cheaper now to make things than it ever was. With the advent and utilization of High seed CNC and solid modeling, it is faster and more cost effective than ever.

It's cheaper and easier, but the product currently being sold isn't of the same quality. You're saying you wouldn't mind seeing GI 1911s and '60s S&W wheelguns melted down so we can go out and pay more for new ones with offshore parts, injection molded internals, "safety" locks, and sloppy bluing? I'd rather just buy the used guns already available.

Guns might be like screwdrivers and hammers, but keep in mind there are screwdrivers and hammer worth thousands (even hundreds of thousands) for their rarity and historical importance. Or some tools might be a better option than new ones. Look at current manual machine tools. Until you get into the stratosphere in pricing, lightly used lathes and mills from the '40s-70s are superior and cheaper than the current Chinese crop of new scrap.

Not to mention that things from previous generations are part of the country's heritage. Antique tall ships are a maintenance nightmare and useless as naval vessels, but there probably aren't too many people who'd want to have the Constitution sold for firewood.