what to do if you get pulled over with a gun in arizona

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The fate of a surrendered firearm in Arizona depends on which option you cull.

There are some things you don't put in the trash — paint thinner, chemicals, an former motorcar.

That's where hazardous waste drop-offs or scrapyards come in. Merely where practice unwanted guns go?

A Phoenix man made headlines when he publicly handed over his guns to the Phoenix Police Section in the wake of the mortiferous mass shooting in Las Vegas.

There's a patchwork of gun dealers, nonprofits and law enforcement agencies that volition take guns, but the fate of the firearm depends on which yous choose.

Gun Turn-Ins Come And Gone

In 1999, Maria and Forest Brown were getting ready for the nativity of their first son in Tempe.

"I thought it was just a great opportunity to do a footling house cleaning at the aforementioned fourth dimension nosotros were baby proofing," Maria Brownish said.

One affair she wanted out of the business firm was her male parent's .22-caliber pistol. It wasn't sentimental, and her hubby, Woods, said it jammed all the time.

"It was a piece of junk," he said.

So the couple shopped for an consequence where they could turn the gun in and have it destroyed. One autumn Sabbatum, they swapped the pistol for a $50 grocery store souvenir card.

"This seemed similar a good way to go rid of it," Woods Brown told The Arizona Republic dorsum then. He was approached by a gun advocate who tried to buy the gun out of destruction.

Brownish said no, but it'due south non because he hates firearms.

"I spent five years in the Ground forces, then I'k pretty comfortable with guns," Brown said. "I mean, I've literally slept with an M16 when I was in the field."

He still owns two, though they've been in a gun locker with trigger locks for years. Brownish said the turn-in was convenient.

"Honestly, if you bring it upwardly at present, I don't know what you would do if you wanted to get rid of a gun," Brown said.

The gun buybacks and turn-ins were oftentimes sponsored by cities, police departments or political figures. The firearms were usually checked against criminal records to make certain they hadn't been used in a offense or stolen.

Those largely ended with the passage of a 2013 Arizona law that prevents municipalities from destroying working firearms in their possession.

"This has nothing to do with guns," said Charles Heller, a spokesman for the Arizona Citizens Defense League, which supported the legislation. "It has to do with horrible financial management, horrible."

He argued the firearms are an nugget to the city if sold for turn a profit.

Tucson tried to claiming the state law in court, merely ended its policy of destroying guns in its possession in September.

Without the incentive of taking guns off the streets, big-scale turn-ins take all only disappeared. Officials have to sell the guns through a federally-licensed dealer.

Sierra Auction Management, Inc., a private company, contracts with the cities of Mesa and Phoenix to sell firearms that are either surrendered to the department, constitute or otherwise no longer needed. Sierra sells the guns in big lots online.

In a statement, Mark Feuerer, Sierra president, said the company records all transactions and conducts criminal background checks on the people who buy their guns.

It'south unlikely any Valley metropolis has seen a financial windfall since the police force passed.

For case, in Mesa over the last five years about a dozen guns come in through voluntary surrender annually.

"What we see actually unremarkably is we have someone where a loved one passed away, they had firearms now either the spouse or next of kin who is left with the property does not want them, does not know what to exercise with them," said Mesa Law Sgt. Diana Williams.

Non-operation firearms are destroyed, and the others end upwardly at Sierra Auction.

Williams said if you desire to surrender a gun to your local police department, authorities prefer that you didn't show up at the station.

"Let united states come to you lot," Williams said. "Give u.s. a call, let us know what you want to surrender in regards to firearms, how many practice you lot accept, what types of firearms are they, are they loaded, are they non."

Selling Your Firearm

Heller, with the Arizona Citizens Defense League, said the free market is the solution for unwanted firearms.

"You could sell it, sell information technology to someone who wants it and could take good care of it," Heller said.

Arizona state police force does not require individual gun sellers to conduct background checks. It does prohibit knowingly "selling or transferring a deadly weapon to a prohibited owner."

RELATED: Read a personal essay from a certified firearms instructor

"Just like anything else, y'all want to brand sure you document information technology well," said Brandon Johnson, with shop AZ Guns.

The Agency of Booze, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives provides a grade to record transactions.

Johnson said many gun shops will facilitate the transfer of firearm ownership in addition to making cash offers for firearms.

A licensed store requires a National Instant Criminal Background Bank check System (often abbreviated as NICS) cheque for buyers.

"With the ability of Google today, you can do a off-white amount of legwork on your own," Johnson said. That includes researching a gun'due south value and reading seller reviews.

"They should non make you feel stupid for not knowing the answer," Johnson said. "Information technology's every gun store's job to be an administrator to outdoor sports."

'A Heavy Responsibleness'

If you want your gun destroyed, non sold, that'southward difficult.

After combing the internet and talking to gun enthusiasts and dealers, KJZZ found only one group that openly advertises a plough-in program in the state, the Arizona Firearm Injury Prevention Coalition.

"Nosotros didn't exercise it to brand a large splash or to make publicity, or to influence politicians," said fellow member Terry Allison. "We did it because we felt in that location was a need for people to give us firearms that they did not want in their domicile."

The group started collecting unwanted guns in the 1990s. They piece of work with constabulary to brand sure the gun doesn't have whatsoever criminal ties and then dispose of the gun per the owner'due south asking.

They piece of work with a private gunsmith who destroys the guns. Allison said that'due south a rare choice.

Commonly, the group sells the gun through a firearm dealer and uses the funds to pay for gun locks, safety seminars and suicide prevention programs.

"We're trying to brand a difference in areas where nosotros can make a difference," Allison said.

He said participants have included former armed forces men and people responsible for the possessions of family members afterward they die.

"Hopefully it gives people an choice they wouldn't otherwise have," Allison said.

Allison describes his background as pro-gun, but now he's not sure if he believes in the label anymore.

"I'k pro-liberty," Allison said. "I yet believe in the correct to keep and comport arms, only I take recognized over the years what a heavy responsibility that is also."

Communication From A Firearms Instructor

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Source: https://kjzz.org/content/562516/want-get-rid-gun-arizona-law-enforcement-nonprofits-offer-different-options

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