What actually happens to these guns? Are they just destroyed? Can they be resold? Do they "disappear" because a corrupt cop resold them himself? Do we just send them to whatever insurgency we're currently propping up in South America or the Middle East?
It very much depends on where, but unless its something special (and is Identified as such) they are usually just scrapped and melted down.
San Francisco, specifically, if the cop take your gun for any reason you will never see it again. They will melt it down and AT BEST you will get some retarded "market value" number for it.
IIRC, if its the Feds and its a legally purchased non-niggered gun, you need to early in the process have your lawyer put in a request that says "I want my gun back, bitch" to ensure it actually returns to your hand.
If the person is found guilty, the gun is considered "seized property" and will almost certainly be melted down. I expect that's the result of those "illegal guns off the street".
For a while there was a big to-do about Asset Seizure and police departments. If the police interacted with you they could take anythign and everything from you. You could get it back by going to the station and filling out a form, but anything not reclaimed in 30 days (or was property of someone arrested and convinced of a drug offense) became the property of the police department.
but the game was you'd ID drug runners and gangstas, take their bling, and let them go. Them niggas ain't coming to the station to fill out the form - and if they do, you just arrest them on drug charges and take it anyway. Some police departments on known drug routes were suddenly sporting a lot of very nice new equipment with fully-funded pensions.
Don't said confiscated guns have to sit on the shelf in the evidence warehouse until there is an acquittal, the window to appeal any guilty convictions or pleas has passed, or the statute of limitations has expired on whatever crime the confiscated gun was connected with?
Yes.
