Colorado Springs police may sell seized firearms

[Story]

The City Council is considering a program to let the Police Department sell confiscated guns to licensed dealers. Sales could net $10,000 a year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,4831409.story

Once again, when the (financial) wolves are at the door, practicalities take precedence over woolyheaded thinking. That said, I wonder if they're going to print a catalog?

[Kimba]

<Snip> The sheriff's program, which has netted nearly $30,000 in two auctions, is what inspired Small to propose that Colorado Springs police start selling their seized weapons. He shrugged off complaints about guns possibly ending up on the streets, noting that police have long sold other assets seized from criminals.

"We auction off cars. It seems to me there's not that much difference between a firearm and a vehicle," Small said. "We've got a number of homes we've seized. . . . We don't send a bulldozer over to them."
<Snip>

I like the way he thinks.

[HiredGoon]

Why not skip the middleman and sell directly to the public. Run a NICS background check on the potential buyer, if they pass...sell 'em a gun.

[lildobe]

Why not skip the middleman and sell directly to the public. Run a NICS background check on the potential buyer, if they pass...sell 'em a gun.

Wouldn't the PD then require an FFL?

[dc dalton]

I've been saying for years that I didn't understand why they didn't sell them once any criminal proceedings were done. As long as the serial numbers are still there and they don't break any ATF laws why not?

With budgets getting tighter every day it only makes sense. They don't make a cent when they destroy them, it actually costs them money, so why not turn a negative into a positive?

[kadar]

Wouldn't the PD then require an FFL?

They already have one. The county Sheriff.

[lildobe]

They already have one. The county Sheriff.

In Pennsylvania a Sheriff can do transfers, but is this the case outside of PA? Remember, this story is from Colorado.

[Strapped]

Guess their not seizing much if thier only making 10K a year.
If they did that in Philly it could prob clear up the budget and give a surplus

[Peddler]

I'm not against the sale of confiscated firearms at all. But personally, I doubt I'd buy one. First, I'd imagine there's no way of knowing (exactly) what types of crimes the firearms were used for.

It's really silly but buying a firearm like that wouldn't have that personal feel to it that my firearms have. It might be a firearm that was stolen from someone else. It could have been used to murder someone that the law isn't aware of. It might have belonged to some thug and there's just no way of telling what kind of bad karma is attached to it.

Also, with the way computers and different agencies get things screwed up, I wouldn't want a firearm that had a serial number linked to a crime or criminal.

JMO

[camper]

I'm kinda with Peddler. I don't want a gun that was actually used in a crime to kill someone else, as silly or wimpy as that might sound. And the 'bad records' and mixups are DEFINTIELY a cause for concern. We all have heard nightmare stories about people's identities being stolen or having to go through rediculous hoops to prove that "No, I'm not really dead".

Can you imagine the hell that would be your life if you got stopped by a statie, they ran your gun, and *gasp* it was used to kill another cop or a kid in Philly or whatever??

Maybe if they add a letter to the end of the serial number or something, like a "RS09" (for resale, year sold) to show that its no longer the 'same'.

Great idea, and they should be able to sell off guns just like anything else. I just would like to see some thought put into it, to protect the guys/gals who end up buying them.

camper