State government is auctioning off over 150 rifles, shot guns and hand guns this weekend. The auction is expected to generate thousands of dollars for the state.
“We actually contract out the auction in this case where the firearms are actually up for auction to the highest bidder and it is done through a federally licensed firearms dealer,” says David Heidrich, spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration that oversees the sale of surplus state property.
Springfield, Remington, Browning, Ruger the major gun makers are all represented at the state firearms auction. The weapons range from hunting rifles and shotguns seized by game wardens to handguns that have been used by state troopers.
“The vast majority of them come from two sources, that would be firearms that are no longer being utilized by state agencies such as the Maine state police game wardens or the Maine DEA or from seizures or forfeitures that have occurred,” Heidrich says.
The state contracts this auction out to a federally licensed firearms dealer and no weapon that was used to kill somebody is sold. Those are destroyed.
The state expects to net as much as $30,000 from the auction.
