KANSAS (KSNT) - A recent investigation found more than 25 firearms used for crimes across the nation were traced back to Kansas law enforcement agencies.
A recent CBS investigation found thousands of firearms used in crimes were traced back to law enforcement agencies, including some in Kansas. According to the findings, some of the firearms had been used in shootings, domestic violence incidents and other violent crimes. The investigation found at least 131 police agencies across the U.S. had engaged in selling guns.
In Kansas, three law enforcement agencies were identified as selling and/or trading guns by CBS: The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office and the Kansas City Police Department. Both the KHP and the Kansas City Police Department had firearms traced to a crime by the ATF.
27 News reached out to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office who said they currently don't sell firearms but have traded them to licensed dealers in the past.
"In the past we have traded, not sold some law enforcement firearms to dealers that have given credit for the purchase of newer law enforcement service duty weapons," Pottawatomie County Sheriff Shane Jager said.
In Kansas, 2016 statute 22-2512 allows law enforcement agencies to sell or trade weapons to properly licensed federal firearms dealers. The Kansas City Kansas Police Department said officers with their agency purchase their own guns from an approved list. Once they retire, they keep them.
A spokesperson for B/S Guns & Ammo in Topeka, Brian Standlee, said there's a paper trail for every firearm sale.
"(Law enforcement) figure out what wholesaler they sold that gun to, they call the wholesaler who calls me who finds out who I sold it to," Standlee said. "So it’s a little bit of a process to figure out."
KS law enforcement firearms traced to a crime as reported by CBS:
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