Michigan State Police (MSP) have declared that firearms obtained through buyback programs will undergo total destruction
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Following extensive criticism, Michigan State Police have announced a significant shift in their approach to disposing of guns collected in buyback programs.
Buyback initiatives, increasingly popular in various Michigan communities, offer gift cards in exchange for unwanted firearms. Participants were assured that surrendered weapons would be rendered unusable.
However, it emerged that while the guns were technically dismantled to meet ATF standards, the contracted company was retaining certain parts for resale in kits.
Francois Eudier, who participated in a gun buyback event at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield, expressed disappointment, stating, “Learning that they weren’t going to be destroyed left me feeling uneasy.”
As a firearm owner, Eudier brought unwanted guns to the event, expecting them to be fully destroyed as promised. However, this turned out not to be the case.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Eudier remarked. “If you’re going to donate a gun for it to be destroyed, it should be entirely destroyed.”
In December, the church discovered that guns handed over to state police from buybacks were being sent to a company that legally dismantled them but retained parts for resale. This revelation caught The Very Rev. Chris Yaw, the church’s rector who helped organize the events, off guard.
Yaw emphasized, “There are many individuals in our community who possess unwanted guns and desire their complete destruction. They don’t want them sold to a gun dealer or anyone else.”
Following advocacy efforts, Michigan State Police announced that guns collected from buybacks will now be sent to a scrap metal facility in Jackson for complete destruction using an industrial pulverizer.
“This new method will enhance public safety by ensuring all firearm components are destroyed, never to be utilized again, in compliance with ATF guidelines, as we’ve always ensured,” stated MSP director Col. James F. Grady II.
MSP indicated that they will cover additional staff costs associated with this new method but will not incur charges for using the pulverizer. The metal from the pulverized guns will be melted down and recycled into flat roll steel coils.
“We’ve significantly raised awareness on this issue, prompting Michigan State Police to reconsider their approach to disposing of the guns,” Eudier remarked.
“The Michigan State Police’s decision to completely destroy the weapons is a commendable one,” Yaw affirmed.
The church intends to host their next buyback event on June 15.
