Cutting up firearms

[f100cleveland]

I work for our county highway dept and today the deputy sheriffs came in and used our metal chop saw to cut up a bunch of firearms they had in impound for years. I wasn't there when they were cutting but happened to see a piece of bolt laying on the bench and looked at it and then said .303 british. They looked at me in aw and asked how I knew that by the little piece I was holding. I have one I told them and one of them said you might want these. .303 rounds in sealed plastic strips. Heck ya won't pass up free ammo. I think its corrosive surplus military stuff but just have to clean it up after shooting. They wouldn't even tell me what else they cut up but one of the mechanic's said they had alot. I'm sure there was some nice ones but they can't sell them cuz of a liabillity thing.

[akuser47]

Because of liability departments and gov. agency will destroy rather than risk an illegal weaon that may have been modified be resold stupi I think all they need to do is contract an sot dealer/gunsmith to verify they are gtg. They could recap some lost mony from investigations but sadly this will probably never happen.

[f100cleveland]

They stopped back in today with a Tec 9 9mm semi-auto that had been converted to full auto. Got to see that one get chopped. They had bags of BB gun pistols that they layed out and we drove over with a steel drum roller. Doesn't make them as flat as in the cartoons but still did a job on them.

[Model 52]

Guns are a lot less complicated than say automobiles or aircraft. I have yet to see a police department or law enforcement agency cut up a confiscated drug aircraft - they auction them off instead. And I have yet to even see a police department or law enforcement agency pay for an airworthiness inspection on an aircraft before the auction - that's left up to the buyer, as would be correcting or repairing any safety issues, or at least getting a ferry permit from the FAA, prior to flight.

Similarly, unless it's a firearm that has been manufactured or illegally modified in a manner that violates federal law, such as an unregistered full auto weapon, or was made after 1989, there is no legal liability reason a police department could not auction them off or sell them through an FFL to individuals who are eligible to buy firearms. At most, the law enforcement agency would have to have a qualified gunsmith pronounce them safe for use and test fire them prior to the sale.

Instead, what these policies are about is the belief that guns should be taken off the streets and thus, when a weapon is confiscated the rationale is that it should not be put back out into the public domain. So in most cases, unless a confiscated firearm has been stolen and the former owner can be found, it's destroyed by most police departments.

The loss of revenue is significant and tax payers would be upset if they weren't overly hobbled by the PC anti-gun argument.

[Maximumbob54]

Destruction of guns should be illegal. It makes zero sense. Add to that they could be making money when department budgets are shrinking.

[Ranch Dog]

Destruction of guns should be illegal. It makes zero sense. Add to that they could be making money when department budgets are shrinking.

Heck, they should turn them around and GIVE them to law abiding citizens.

[akuser47]

I saw an episode of border patrol they showed alot of guns being destroyed and allot of vehicles and eqiupment they stated on the show that in the chance they missed somthing in the vehicles they must be completly destroyed. and under armed gaurd they really do shred everything guns cars construction eqiupment. So sad so much waste.

[Fullthrottle]

I saw an episode of border patrol they showed alot of guns being destroyed and allot of vehicles and eqiupment they stated on the show that in the chance they missed somthing in the vehicles they must be completly destroyed. and under armed gaurd they really do shred everything guns cars construction eqiupment. So sad so much waste.

Too much waste on the hands of the gov't! So much could be gained in revenue by not destroying these items!

[silvertip]

Before I retired a few years ago, I worked for a company that had some contracts with the Naval Support Center at Crane, IN. One area that our drivers delivered to was a building where firearms deemed surplus by various branches of the armed forces were "demilled". Our guy returned one day about 10 years back to say that this area had received a "truck load" (his words) of new in the box S&W revolvers. Technicians in the area said they would be most of the week destroying these. I have a paperweight of a heel of a M1 Garand rifle receiver that was demilled at this place. This receiver piece reads: "U.S. Rifle/Cal. 30 M1/Springfield Armory/609708". From the condition of this remnant, I think this had been a pretty nice rifle. I went to my gunsafe that night and pulled my CMP M1 rifles and reminded them how lucky they were to have me.

[Ranch Dog]

Man, that makes me crazy!