Weapons Confiscated In Sullivan To Be Auctioned Online

BLOUNTVILLE — The Sullivan County Commission has authorized the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office to auction off confiscated weapons that are declared contraband.The online auctions will be conducted by a third party, and the process will include having a firearms dealer in a buyer’s locale to sign off on conducting background checks on winning bidders before a transaction is completed.Sheriff’s staff said the auctions will be conducted by gunbrokers.com, described in commission discussion of the issue as “eBay for firearms.”Individuals interested in a weapon will have to go to a local firearm distributor, and the weapon will be shipped to that dealer, not the individual, sheriff’s staff said.The resolution approved by the commission earlier this month outlines the following guidelines, under state law (Tennessee Code Annoted 39-17-1317), for such sales:Any confiscated weapon by a law enforcement officer and declared contraband by the court may be ordered to be sold by the court.The confiscated weapon shall be sold at a public auction not later than six months from the date of the court order and conducted by the sheriff.The proceeds from the sale shall be deposited in the county general fund and allocated solely for law enforcement purposes.Sales shall be advertised in a daily or weekly newspaper for a minimum of three editions and not less than 30 days prior to the sale.The commission’s action on the resolution approved “the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office to sell any confiscated weapon declared contraband by the court with proceeds allocated solely for law enforcement purposes,” to get the county in compliance with updated language in the law as amended this year.State law already allowed contraband weapons to be sold at public auction — and they have been locally — sheriff’s office personnel said, but the wording change required action by the commission.