Seized Guns Destroyed

Would there be an outcry if vintage cars or other antiques were destroyed after being seized by the police? We think there would be, but guns never get the same sort of outcry – even if these are collectible or historically important. KETV in Omaha is reporting that the city regularly destroys confiscated guns:

“Omaha police said 49 guns taken off the streets were reduced to molten steel Thursday. The weapons were from OPD’s evidence room and were taken to Omaha Steel to be melted down. The metal can now be used for productive purposes.”

Couldn’t the guns have been sold and the money used for even more productive purposes?

Old Firearms Destroyed in Texas

Firearms stored in the Nueces County Police Department were destroyed last week, reports The Nueces County Record. This is sad news for us, because while the police may have only seen these items as “evidence,” we see it is a much more. According to the story:

 ”If they are no longer needed for a case, protocol dictates the weapons must be destroyed…”

But what is upsetting is that the 70 or so firearms destroyed, many were storage for years. While many might have been common or damaged, we have no idea how many valuable firearms – monetary as well as historically – maybe now lost forever.