Bill would require auction, not destruction of seized guns

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Why waste a perfectly good gun?

That's the philosophy behind HB252 to generally ban police departments from destroying firearms they have confiscated once they are no longer needed for trials — and requires selling them instead, with some proceeds going to a fallen officers support fund.

The bill passed a committee Friday and now heads to the full House.

"I never saw the need for a perfectly good firearm to be destroyed," said sponsoring Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem.

Clark Aposhian, with the Utah Shooting Sports Council, said, "We just don't think it's a great idea to destroy firearms, and when that money can go to a good cause, so be it."

He added, "This inanimate object — despite whatever crime it was use in — is not guilty of anything itself."