Posted on 08/14/2012 9:15:51 PM PDT by smokingfrog
ALBANY, GA -
A Georgia law that took effect last month requires all law enforcement agencies to sell most of the guns they confiscate to licensed dealers if they can't return them to the lawful owners.
Gwinnett County's Police Department recently sold 62 guns for more than $10,000 and that money goes to the state.
We talked to a number of South Georgia law enforcement agencies about Senate Bill 350, and like many new laws, many of the agencies have different opinions about what this new state law requires and how they will comply with it.
The new Georgia law says that all law enforcement agencies will sell most of their seized or confiscated weapons to the highest bidder among licensed firearm dealers.
"A licensed distributor comes in," said Dougherty County Sheriff's Office Captain Allen Brock. "They view all the guns. And they will give us a price of the lot. Every bit of them."
But the money will go to the state, not the police agencies.
"Everybody is desperate for monies now. So this is a way to generate revenues. I'm all for it," Sheriff Kevin Sproul said.
The gun dealers can then resell those weapons, with all the requirements of usual gun purchases.
"So it goes through the whole background check. All of that, before that firearm goes back on the streets. So it is going back to a lawful owner, another lawful owner," Brock said.
Another requirement of this new law, all guns seized after use in crimes in Georgia are returned to their lawful owners. In the past, many guns seized in crimes or confiscated would just be destroyed.
(Excerpt) Read more at walb.com ...
Yeah, I like this law. Just hope they made every effort to first return the guns to original owners.
I would never knowingly buy one of these guns, and I think it is wrong to sell one to the public without a statement of its history.
The chances of the serial number showing up on a list of stolen property or "crime guns", and the legal troubles that could cause, are too high for me to be interested even if they were being given away.
Do you really trust any government bureaucracy to purge the serial number from every government database?
Something tells me gun confiscation will increase in Georgia.
the proposal does sound good...
I have some reason to believe here that many of the guns made their way into the hands of LEOs who took advantage of a less-than-diligent effort to return them to rightful owners.
Well, we know the Law doesn’t really mean them, too.
Sure makes more sense than melting them.
“Everybody is desperate for monies now. So this is a way to generate revenues. I’m all for it,” Sheriff Kevin Sproul said
Why stop there. Hubcaps are good money on the side of the road /s
So long as the wheels were used in a crime and confiscated legitimately.
I know its a fine line.
Police auctions are nothing new.
Conning little old ladie’s into turning in the late hubbies fine italian shotgun for a $25 Target card is a crime.
When they have your hubcaps in custody you have to pay a lawyer to get them back. Even if they are innocent and not a voluntary participant with the broken tail light.
“Everybody is desperate for monies now. So this is a way to generate revenues. I’m all for it,” Sheriff Kevin Sproul said
“Everybody is desperate for monies now
“Everybody is desperate for monies now
Is this where we are at now?
As I said, I understand it is a fine line.
Amen! Anytime anything privately owned, and of value, can be legally transferred to state coffers, there will be more transferring!
It’s a matter of economics.
At $161 apiece, I’d have bought them all too.
Not a bad average at all.
Al Capone would proud.
To you suggest everything in the evidence room goes back to the perp?
I don’t suggest we steal guns that are used by law abiding citizens, or homes if there is a pot plant out back.
All I am suggesting is that buyback programs have been abused.
Not at all.
I grew up in a rural court house. My mother was the JP and her office was next to the house so I sat in court at an early age so she could keep an eye on me.
She told me many times that the law could be abused by people who wanted money or power or both as they go hand in hand.
Who guards the guards and which lie is the truth?
We do.
Who must do the hard things?
Those that can.
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