ROCHESTER, N.Y. — What happens to illegal weapons after they’re secured by police?

Rochester Police officers took 818 guns off the streets last year. Tom asks: “what happened to all the guns the city collected in 2023? Were they 100 percent destroyed or was only the frame with the serial number destroyed, with the rest of the parts sold to gun parts dealers?”

RPD says the guns that officers collected last year haven’t been destroyed yet and not all of them will be destroyed.

If a gun is collected as evidence in an investigation, RPD says it has to be kept intact until the court case is completely finished. Sometimes, that can take years, especially with sentencing and possible appeals.

RPD says that when the department does get rid of firearms, they’re taken to a metal recycling center, and every part of the gun is melted down. The guns are not taken apart or re-sold at all.

According to RPD’s Open Data Portal, Out of the 58 people who were murdered in Rochester last year, 73% of them were killed with guns.

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