I've been wondering the same thing.

I would assume that anything related to the shooting would be taken. This would include all weapons and accessories. It would likely largely depend on the area and department, but plan on having your primary and all of its accessories confiscated, and likely the backup as well, if for no other reason than the officer's safety.

This would all be in line with the probable arrest or detainment.

Josh <><

 

Hello newsflash,

Some interesting observations on the subject are posted here:
http://handgunsandammo.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1138676543&page=3

Best,

CS

 

Hy,

again, this is not an US situation (but I guess investigation methods are somehow international). I was some weeks ago at the ballistics lab in the Police to renew my guns license and registration.

I had nothing to do later, and seems to be that this was the situation for the officers there also, so after shooting my pistols for the bullet and primers marks registry we had some time to talk about guns, registered and unregistered, they were very niche and showed me how a bullets comparison microscope works, and a lot of other stuff, so I took a small 90 to 120 min free of charge and very friendly course. Consider that one thing is what I understood and an other is what really is, but I always was normally a good student, so I hope I can write you this with a minimum of my own added opinion. (Remember this is a post from what I have understood and not an official police procedure manual)

In what they call a "firing case" no matter if with injured or dead person or suspect, self defense or non self defense situation, they will collect everything they believe might be relevant or useful for the investigation. What they might find as useful or relevant for investigation is mainly what the in charge officer considers using his own discretion, mainly during or might be after the scene investigation.

Now my opinion. This means, that if the in charge officers believes he has to collect and confiscate all your toys and accessories as relevant items for the investigation, he will do this. So, be sure that the inventory is correct, so your stuff will complete return to your hands, and be sure to be able to identify your stuff so you will not declare your attackers magazine as yours.

 

It depends on the location, the laws (or dept. policy) of the location, the situation and the officers.

I live in rural Ky. We have a fellow in our county who has fatally shot two subjects (a couple years apart). They were both bank robbers.

We did not even think about charging him after viewing the scene (and in one case interviewing the witnesses - there were no witnesses to the first one). Therefore we did not take his weapon.

OTOH, if there was P.C. , even if we did not think it rose to the level of making an immediate arrest, we would secure all evidence available at the scene (multiple guns would have to be taken as you cannot actually determine which one was actually used in the field - I might have a pretty strong opinion but it would not hold up without a lab report).

Oddly enough, I have known two people who used handguns (fatally) in self defense and had them taken as evidence only to need another one later in the same day (family members of the deceased). In both cases they had retrieved a weapon from home (the "spare" guns were not at the scene of the shootings). Fortunately both cases ended without having to employ those weapons. Both parties were never charged as the cases were pretty clearly self defense. They were not in Ky. so I assume the collection of evidence was different in their locale. I suspect it would be different in the larger cities of our state also.

We do not investigate (officially) our own Officer Involved Shootings (O.I.S.). When we had one a few years ago the State Police took our guys' service pistols (which were used in the shooting) but not backup guns. It took nearly a year to get them back!

Jim H.

 

Thanks to all for the replies. I have found them very helpful.

 

A man here shot an intruder, clearly a case of self defense. Every gun he had was taken, he was forced to buy a few to have around his home, his were gone well over a year. Also, anyone that likes to buy from individuals to avoid papers, a self defense shooting in the home is one sure way to get all your firearms on a list.

 

Let's hope Leland Ray never has to defend his castle. Can you imagine the convoy of vehicles they would need to haul away all of his guns?

 

Let's hope Leland Ray never has to defend his castle. Can you imagine the convoy of vehicles they would need to haul away all of his guns?

I'm protected from this by laws and law enforcement officials whose attitudes are quite strongly informed by something they used to call common sense, a quality that seems to be in very short supply nowadays.