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Franklin Police Given Permission to Trade Seized, Abandoned and Forfeited Guns to Authorized Dealer
Summary
The board approved the sale/transfer of seized, abandoned and forfeited firearms to an authorized firearms dealer under the department’s existing standard operating procedure; staff said many weapons had court-ordered forfeitures and some items had been in evidence for years.
The Board approved a request allowing the police department to sell or trade seized, abandoned and forfeited firearms to an authorized dealer, following the department’s existing standard operating procedure.
City Attorney Lynn Gray and Police Chief Kirby Cochran explained the process: the department’s SOP 1.16.0.1 permits trading in firearms that are abandoned, forfeited or otherwise unavailable for return, provided there is legal title (typically through court forfeiture orders) and the trade is conducted through an authorized firearms dealer. Gray and Chief Cochran said the department has court orders for each weapon in the evidence room that is subject to forfeiture.
Chief Cochran said the vendor used historically and for the current estimate is an authorized dealer (the transcript referenced Keesler/Kiesler/Kiesler's Firearm Supply Company); the department has obtained an estimate from that dealer and uses the vendor for purchasing weapons as well, which staff said streamlines transactions.
Board members asked about the volume and age of the firearms in evidence. Chief Cochran said some items have been in evidence for many years — one speaker said “15 years” — and the cache includes several hundred weapons. The chief said the department routinely runs ballistics checks to ensure firearms were not previously used in unsolved crimes.
The board approved the motion to move forward with the sale/transfer of the identified firearms to the authorized dealer as described.
