Question for LEOs, DAs or whoever else might think they know.

What REALLY happens to guns that are turned in (those guns for food exchanges ect.), recovered stolen but not claimed, confiscated, ect. Even guns that are/were evidence they can't ALL be in storage.

I KNOW darn good and well they don't all get melted down.

In Dallas they all get melted. Can't speak for the other Cities or Agencies, but with the liability now days they probably all get melted.

Im not sure about the melting down anymore. There used to be a man hole cover in Downtown Houston that you could actually see the outline of a gun. I have never seen it just heard the stories so I cant confirm this one.

I know that we will destroy them and sell the useable pieces to dealers or somewhere else and use that money to purchase department guns or other equipment that we need. Some times if they are actually good weapons that cannot be returned for whatever reason The Department will seize them and then they will be issued to officers or put in the armory for spare weapons.

I know for a fact my friend that goes to UTA has had to cut weapons in half with saws in shop class that have been confiscated on school property...he said it broke his heart to destroy all those guns

Growing up a ran with a kid who's dad was the DA (I think)
he had the largest most diverse collection of guns I've ever seen... from Saturday night specials to Thompson sub machine guns.

I just know if it came time to destroy a... we'll say Ducks unlimited commerotive, engraved shotgun, valued at $4,000.00,
SOMEBODY is ganna take it home instead.

GT Distributors in Austin buys some of them..

I remember back in the day the Bryan county(oklahoma) sheriffs office would hold a gun auction from time to time and you could go down and buy guns and fill out the paperwork right there in the parking lot of the courthouse.

We always melted them down.

I know of one county that cut all handguns with a torch but I don't know what happened to rifles and shotguns.I do know of a shotgun that eventually went home with a sheriff and that's all i know about it..

The Judge issues a destruction order and they all get destroyed.

Seen some really nice guns get cut up. Makes me sick to see some of them go. We acquisition some of them for training.

The PD in gtown traded them in for swat rifles several years ago.
I know it po'ed alot of guys off putting them back on the street like that.

GT's in Austin buys seized guns from PD's around the state. I have no idea which ones sell them, I just know that GT's sells a lot of used guns, from nice shotguns to bolt action deer rifles and everything in between. I have no idea what my department does with them, I've never asked.

our department destroys them if the judge orders it to be done. If they are usable and decent, some get turned in for duty weapons if the officer chooses to use it. They cant sell them, i've asked. it sucks. Even the ammo they cant sell even if they cant use it.