I’m kind of curious because I see cops take so many guns off the streets with various programs, confiscation due to their involvement in crimes, etc. And then I see instances of public art created with said confiscated guns. And further, I’ve seen people make comments about their loved ones committing suicide with a gun, and then making a comment that the “only thing they were left was the gun they killed themselves with.”
So…the question is: A gunshot suicide occurs. What is the protocol for dealing with the firearm involved? Is it offered to the next of kin? Is it seized and turned into public art by some hippie in the lobby of the public library? Is it held as evidence and eventually sold as scrap? Does this vary by state in the US?
The police chief in the town near where I live got caught selling confiscated guns. He did a bit more than a year. In his defense, he was paid just a little more than minimum wage.
Actually, a lot of them sadly are. There’s a reason why they earn minimum wage. But that aside, the single most common cause of underemployment is anxiety disorders. Totally irrelevant to the topic of the thread, but I’ve always wanted to spout off about it, and now seemed as good a time as any.
This. Sorry to say I have experience of this. The county sheriff took the gun my mother used on herself with him from the scene, but offered to return it to us. He explained, “It isn’t the fruit of a crime.” We, however, asked not to have it back, and so I presume he had it destroyed.
My stepbrother used a .40 on himself in 2005. After the investigation my stepfather asked for the gun to be returned to him. They refused, saying it was “policy” to not return guns. My stepfather had his lawyer write a letter to the police department, upon which they (reluctantly) returned it.
That is the case here as long as the gun is legal. We do have an assault weapons ban here so there are illegal guns. Guns are not sold once seized. I think mostly for the PR factor. No one wants to see a headline like “Gun sold by police department used in murder.” It unfortunately means that some expensive and/or historic weapons are destroyed.
This was Texas in the early 80s before I was born but I was told by my father the police took the handgun away and kept it with their consent, it was either never returned or they declined getting it. My brother shot himself in front of them both.
They never mentioned any followup contact or investigation, it is possible the police doubted there was foul play involved.
What does your department do with unclaimed evidence and seized items generally.
Any interesting cases of disposal? I know our local department once gave some captured drugs to the University for “research purposes” which did raise eyebrows (they usually destroy them).
I fortunately have no direct experience with a suicide, but I was always told that here in New York guns seized during the commission of a crime are destroyed (melted down). And isn’t suicide considered a crime? A type of homicide?
A friend’s husband killed himself with a gun. About a month later the credit card bill comes with the gun sale on it. She’d gotten the weapon back from the police with no problems and took it back to the dealer and explained the situation. The guy behind the counter said ‘I’ll give you your money back, clean up the gun and return it back into the system as inventory.’ His understanding in doing that was a huge help in her process.
