Change in gun law limits law enforcement options | Crime | Macon.com

A change in state law is affecting how law enforcement agencies dispose of firearms seized or surrendered during an arrest.

While agencies once had the option of destroying those weapons, they must now be sold to licensed dealers. The revenue generated is supposed to go to the general fund of the city or county the agency serves.

Guns that are evidence in an open case aren’t subject to the rule, while guns that have been stolen from private owners can still be returned to those owners, provided they still want the gun. In some cases, those owners have already been compensated by their insurance companies, so they can’t take the gun back.

Firearms that the general public can’t buy legally can only be sold to a federally licensed dealer, officials said. But the only way to destroy a firearm now, several midstate lawmen said, is if the agency gets a court order because the gun is malfunctioning or damaged.

via Change in gun law limits law enforcement options | Crime | Macon.com.