In a shift towards greater firearm destruction transparency, the Michigan State Police are adopting a new practice for the disposal of firearms, ensuring that the potential for any part of the weapon to be reused or repurposed is obliterated.
The state’s law enforcement department will now utilize a scrap metal processing facility in Jackson to pulverize guns entirely, a response to criticisms from a New York Times investigation. The probe found that the previous contractor, GunBusters, only destroyed certain parts of the firearms, which allowed other components to be sold as kits. This revelation prompted a halt to the disposal process in January and the subsequent policy change, said Col. James F. Grady II, director of MSP, in a statement obtained by CBS News Detroit.
The initiative comes on the heels of MSP's decision in December to put an end to gun buybacks after learning that not all parts of the buyback weapons were being destroyed. The Rev. Chris Yaw of St. David's Episcopal Church, which held a buyback event prior to the investigation's release, expressed relief at the policy change to CBS News Detroit: "I'm elated that the Michigan State Police has taken the right step in honoring really, what is the spirit, in a statement like we're destroying guns,"
As reported by The Detroit News, the procedure shift will lead to additional costs for transport and record-keeping. However, MSP will not be charged for the destruction service, as the obliterated materials will be recycled into flat roll steel coils.
According to News Channel 3, Col. Grady highlighted that "This new method will improve public safety by ensuring all parts of a firearm are destroyed, never to be used again, and continue to meet the ATF's acceptable destruction procedures, as we always have." Despite the hiatus in firearm disposal earlier this year, MSP's Lori Dougovito from the Communications and Outreach Division indicated that they have disposed of 3,014 firearms so far in 2024, as News Channel 3 notes.
St. David's Episcopal Church is set to host its next gun buyback on June 15, 2024, when the newly instituted destruction practices by MSP will be in full effect, ensuring a more complete and secure firearm disposal process.
