Law enforcement and court decisions determine what happens to the weapon after all legal proceedings and appeals are concluded.
They will never get that rifle back.
The father turned his kid in. Considering all that if he wants his father’s gun back he should petition the court to get it back and they should let him have it if he wants it.
I don’t blame the dad because his son was a retard.
Murder weapons are released all the time at the conclusion of proceedings... but in his case it’ll be after a death penalty. Could be decades.