AP Exclusive: Pentagon gun was from Tenn. police

AP-Yahoo! ^ | March 15, 2010 | DEVLIN BARRETT

[greatdefender]

WASHINGTON – Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely place: the police and court system of Memphis, Tenn.

Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that both guns were once seized in criminal cases in Memphis. The officials described how the weapons made their separate ways from an evidence vault to gun dealers and to the shooters.

The use of guns that once were in police custody and were later involved in attacks on police officers highlights a little-known divide in gun policy in the United States: Many cities and states destroy guns gathered in criminal probes, but others sell or trade the weapons in order to get other guns or buy equipment such as bulletproof vests.

In fact, on the day of the Pentagon shooting, March 4, the Tennessee governor signed legislation revising state law on confiscated guns. Before, law enforcement agencies in the state had the option of destroying a gun. Under the new version, agencies can only destroy a gun if it's inoperable or unsafe.

Kentucky has a similar law, but it's not clear how many other states have laws specifically designed to promote the police sale or trade of confiscated weapons.

A nationwide review by The Associated Press in December found that over the previous two years, 24 states — mostly in the South and West, where gun-rights advocates are particularly strong — have passed 47 new laws loosening gun restrictions. Gun rights groups are making a greater effort to pass favorable legislation in state capitals.

John Timoney, who led the Philadelphia and Miami police departments and served as New York's No. 2 police official, said he doesn't believe police departments should be putting more guns into the market.

[Vigilanteman]

It is very impressive how well they can track the gun. Why can’t they track the perp at least half that well?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Time to get rid of the police.

[mikelets456]

I thought the gun came from a white, christian Tea party extremist that was an ex-vet and was waving a “don’t tread on me” flag.....

[DemonDeac]

Perhaps a tiny bit of egg on the face of the department but if the criminals couldn’t have got a hold of their old guns they’d have had no trouble finding weapons. This is a non-story.

[bgill]

Gun rights group fault!

[mamelukesabre]

This cracks me up.

The person writing this has the attitude that the gun itself is the criminal...and that it is horrible that the police should ever release such a criminal so that it can do more crime.

Yet your typical anti-gun-nut does just this with people...lets them out time after time to do more crime.

What a crackup.

[ozzymandus]

This stupid non-story pops up occasionally from the anti-gun crowd. Police agencies often sell used cop guns and confiscated guns from old court cases. Naturally, the antis tyr to make the gun the criminal, and act outraged that “cops are putting criminal guns back in circulation”.

[umgud]

The base insinuation here is that once a gun has been used in a crime, it should be destroyed.

Why? Is it now defective?

[pepperdog]

Ever since Elvis left Memphis has been going downhill.

[paul51]

Maybe the BATF should raid Memphis PD

[paul51]

It is very impressive how well they can track the gun. Why can’t they track the perp at least half that well?

Or illegal aliens

[bunkerhill7]

I was dancin’ with my darlin’ to
the Tennessee Policeman`s Ball Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced her to my loved one
And while they were dancin’ n romancin`
My friend stole my pistol from me.

I remember the night and
the Tennessee Policeman`s Ball Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
Yes, I lost my little pistol the night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Policeman`s Ball Waltz.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Stupid cops. Don’ they know that if they had destroyed those two pistols it would have been impossible for those two crooks to get their hands on one of the other 70 million handguns in the country.

[CobraJet]

The liberal press is all over this. The truth is, the guns were confiscated and held as evidence. After the trial, the police property room sold them to a legitimate used gun seller. The next buyer bought them legally, then used them in a crime. It's not the gun's fault, obviously, that the new owner would use them in a crime. Liberals are aghast that the police dept did not destroy the guns. They completely miss the point that the crooks would just get a different gun for their crime.

[Scotsman will be Free]

“They completely miss the point that the crooks would just get a different gun for their crime.”
If the scum miss the point, they do so deliberately.

[piytar]

Blame the gun! Eeeevvvviiillllll guns! Once a gun is used in a crime, why, it might go off and do it again!

This, as most other leftist memes, is getting OLD...