Recovering Confiscated or Relinquished Firearms

May 16, 2013

I've long thought this was due for consideration. It seems at least some in North Carolina agree that it's fiscally irresponsible to destroy functional firearms that have been confiscated in crimes. After all, do we destroy homes or vehicles or other property that is seized by the justice system? Of course we don't. We auction them and the government gets to make use of the incoming funds. We should do the same with firearms as if they were any other property. And for firearms of any type, but particularly so-called "assault weapons", that are adequate for use within law enforcement we should ensure they're used there, defraying the cost of supporting those organizations. Of course we have to ensure that this doesn't become an incentive for law enforcement to confiscate firearms unduly. I've already read a story about law enforcement officers having the ability to privately purchase confiscated firearms. That could lead to a conflict of interest. We all know that not every law enforcement officer is the ideal, moral role model we'd like them to be.

"I guess they’re going to have to hire someone to see if [the guns] are fully operable." That is a consideration. Depending upon at what level this is performed (municipality, county or state) the incoming funds might pay for the gunsmithing needed to qualify or restore the firearms or determine their unsuitability. They might also be able to sell them at steeply discounted prices, perhaps by lot, without a functional guarantee.

http://www.wral.com/nc-house-passes-save-the-gun-bill/12450153/

This proposal appears to be restricted to firearms confiscated in crime. The article makes a general mention of gun buy-back programs. I think the issue equally applies to firearms relinquished in gun buy-backs. Of course allowing firearms back into circulation would defeat one of the purposes of those programs - removing them from circulation. But it would still allow people who choose to relinquish their firearms to do so in a way that they feel more comfortable with. It might also provide a source of revenue for government use or donation to an appropriate cause (as long as that cause is not "anti-gun" - anti-violence is okay but when it crosses the line to anti-gun it's not because guns are not the cause of violence). As for that 'removing from circulation' thing, does anyone really think that these buy-backs remove crime guns from "the street"? Perhaps there are some who are naive enough to believe that.

Another idea I'd add is that the government could work in partnership with a selection of firearms dealers and, instead of selling the firearms outright, could sell them on consignment. Perhaps the dealers could provide the functional checks and gunsmithing, recover their costs from the proceeds and split the sales profits with the government.

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