More than $176,000 raised by State Treasurer’s Office in unclaimed firearms auction

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — In an unclaimed property firearms auction, State Treasurer Riley Moore announced that more than $176,000 was raised for state and local law enforcement agencies.

The event, held on September 12, 2024 in Charleston, raised approximately $176,770 to assist the 18 agencies that participated, keeping pace with the prior amount raised in the March 2023 firearms auction, which totaled $141,000.

In the years since 2014, the State Treasurer’s Office has held 12 of these auctions. More than 300 lots, comprised of 627 firearms and 300 lbs. of ammunition, were up for bidding, the biggest inventory in the Office’s firearms auction history. Funds from the event are gathered from selling old, outdated, or unclaimed firearms, ammunition, and related items to eligible bidders.

Since being elected as State Treasurer, my Office has raised more than $753,000 for law enforcement agencies across the state. It’s imperative that the brave men and women who serve in our state’s law enforcement have sufficient funding to purchase safety and training equipment. I’m proud my Office’s firearm auction program has expanded its reach and continues to grow each year to benefit state and local law enforcement.

Riley Moore | State Treasurer

State and local law enforcement agencies are able to turn in any seized, outdated, or unclaimed firearms to the State Treasurer’s Office through West Virginia’s Unclaimed Property Code. The firearms and accessories can include weapons that are no longer being utilized by a department, or have previously qualified as evidence and have been left for an extended period of time following the disposition of a case. They may also include weapons seized from those who are not legally able to own them.

After an agency proves they cannot find a lawful owner, the firearms can be given to the Treasurer’s Office to be auctioned. The funds from the auctions can be returned to the agency that turned the firearm over.

According to a press release, there were 63 federally licensed firearms dealers, including 26 new ones, from six different states registered to bid in the auction. It was mandatory that bidders were valid, licensed federal firearms dealers to participate; this auction was not open to the public.

The 18 law enforcement agencies that participated were:

• Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office
• West Virginia State Police – Bluefield, Bridgeport, and Weston detachments
• Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department
• Clarksburg Police Department
• Elkins Police Department
• Gilbert Police Department
• Hardy County Sheriff’s Office
• Hardy County Drug Task Force
• Huntington Police Department
• Jackson County Sheriff’s Department
• Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department
• Moorefied Police Department
• Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crime Task Force
• Randolph County Sheriff’s Department
• Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office
• Wheeling Police Department

For more information regarding the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, visit their website here .

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