House
File
536
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
536
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
JUDICIARY
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
75)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
disposition
of
legal
firearms
and
1
ammunition
seized
by
a
law
enforcement
agency.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
1513HV
(3)
85
rh/rj
H.F.
536
Section
1.
Section
809.5,
subsection
1,
paragraph
f,
1
subparagraph
(3),
Code
2013,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
(3)
(i)
Notwithstanding
subparagraph
(2)
and
except
as
3
otherwise
provided
in
this
subparagraph
,
firearms
or
ammunition
4
with
an
aggregate
fair
market
value
equal
to
or
less
than
five
5
hundred
dollars
shall
be
deposited
with
the
department
of
6
public
safety.
7
(ii)
The
seizing
agency
shall
notify
the
department
of
8
public
safety
if
the
seizing
agency
desires
to
resume
and
9
retain
custody
of
any
firearms.
If
the
department
is
already
10
in
possession
of
the
same
type
of
firearms,
the
department
11
shall
return
the
firearms
to
the
seizing
agency
within
one
12
hundred
eighty
days
of
receiving
the
firearms
from
the
seizing
13
agency.
Before
returning
the
firearms,
the
department
shall,
14
as
necessary,
collect
and
record
information
from
the
firearms,
15
which
may
include
but
is
not
limited
to
serial
numbers.
16
(iii)
The
firearms
or
ammunition
may
be
held
by
the
17
department
of
public
safety
and
may
be
used
for
law
18
enforcement,
testing,
or
comparisons
by
the
criminalistics
19
laboratory
of
the
department
,
or
may
be
destroyed
,
or
disposed
20
of
by
the
department
of
public
safety
seizing
agency
using
21
the
same
rules
and
procedures
established
in
accordance
with
22
section
809.21
,
subsection
2
.
23
Sec.
2.
Section
809.21,
Code
2013,
is
amended
to
read
as
24
follows:
25
809.21
Sale
of
certain
ammunition
and
firearms.
26
1.
Ammunition
and
firearms
seized
by
the
department
of
27
public
safety
which
are
not
illegal
and
which
are
not
offensive
28
weapons
as
defined
by
section
724.1
may
be
sold
by
the
29
department
of
public
safety
at
public
auction.
The
firearms
or
30
ammunition
may
also
be
held
by
the
department
of
public
safety
31
and
used
for
law
enforcement,
testing,
or
comparisons
by
the
32
criminalistics
laboratory,
or
destroyed,
or
disposed
of
in
33
accordance
with
this
section.
The
department
of
public
safety
34
may
sell
at
public
auction
forfeited
legal
weapons
received
35
-1-
LSB
1513HV
(3)
85
rh/rj
1/
4
H.F.
536
from
the
director
of
the
department
of
natural
resources,
1
except
that
rifles
and
shotguns
shall
be
retained
by
the
2
department
of
natural
resources
for
disposal
according
to
its
3
rules.
4
2.
The
sale
of
ammunition
or
firearms
which
are
not
illegal
5
and
which
are
not
offensive
weapons
as
defined
by
section
6
724.1,
pursuant
to
this
section
shall
be
made
only
to
federally
7
licensed
firearms
dealers
or
to
persons
who
have
a
permit
8
to
purchase
the
firearms.
Persons
who
have
not
obtained
a
9
permit
may
bid
on
firearms
at
the
public
auction.
However,
10
persons
who
bid
without
a
permit
must
post
a
fifty
percent
of
11
purchase
price
fifty-percent-of-purchase-price
deposit
with
the
12
commissioner
of
public
safety
on
any
winning
bid.
No
transfer
13
of
firearms
may
be
made
to
a
person
bidding
without
a
permit
14
until
such
time
as
the
person
has
obtained
a
permit.
If
the
15
person
is
unable
to
produce
a
permit
within
two
weeks
from
the
16
date
of
the
auction,
the
person
shall
forfeit
the
fifty
percent
17
fifty-percent
deposit
to
the
department
of
public
safety.
All
18
proceeds
of
a
public
auction
pursuant
to
this
section
conducted
19
by
the
department
,
less
department
expenses
reasonably
20
incurred,
shall
be
deposited
in
the
general
fund
of
the
state.
21
The
department
of
public
safety
shall
be
reimbursed
from
the
22
proceeds
for
the
reasonable
expenses
incurred
in
selling
the
23
property
at
the
auction.
24
Sec.
3.
Section
809A.17,
subsection
5,
paragraph
b,
Code
25
2013,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
26
b.
Forfeited
property
which
is
a
weapon
or
ammunition
27
shall
be
deposited
with
the
department
of
public
safety
to
be
28
disposed
of
in
accordance
with
the
rules
of
the
department
29
seizing
agency
.
All
weapons
or
ammunition
may
be
held
30
for
use
in
law
enforcement,
testing,
or
comparison
by
the
31
criminalistics
laboratory,
or
destroyed.
Ammunition
and
32
firearms
which
are
not
illegal
and
are
not
offensive
weapons
33
as
defined
by
section
724.1
may
be
sold
by
the
department
as
34
provided
seizing
agency
using
the
same
rules
and
procedures
in
35
-2-
LSB
1513HV
(3)
85
rh/rj
2/
4
H.F.
536
section
809.21
,
subsection
2
.
1
EXPLANATION
2
This
bill
relates
to
the
disposition
of
legal
firearms
and
3
ammunition
seized
by
a
law
enforcement
agency.
4
Current
law
requires
that
all
abandoned,
seized
firearms
5
and
ammunition
with
an
aggregate
value
of
less
$500
be
6
transferred
to
the
department
of
public
safety
for
use
in
law
7
enforcement,
testing,
or
for
comparisons
by
the
criminalistics
8
laboratory,
or
destroyed,
or
sold
at
public
auction
pursuant
9
to
Code
section
809.21.
If
the
value
of
a
seized
firearm
or
10
ammunition
is
greater
than
$500
in
the
aggregate,
Code
section
11
809.5(1)(f)(1)
requires
the
property
to
be
forfeited
pursuant
12
to
the
procedures
established
in
Code
chapter
809A.
13
Under
the
bill,
if
the
owner
of
firearms
or
ammunition
is
14
unable
to
be
located
or
the
firearms
or
ammunition
is
deemed
15
abandoned,
such
firearms
or
ammunition
shall
be
deposited
with
16
the
department
of
public
safety,
regardless
of
value,
and
if
17
the
seizing
agency
desires
to
resume
and
retain
custody
of
18
any
firearms,
the
seizing
agency
must
notify
the
department
19
of
public
safety.
If
the
department
is
already
in
possession
20
of
the
same
type
of
firearms,
the
department
is
required
to
21
return
the
firearms
to
the
seizing
agency
within
six
months
22
of
receiving
the
firearms
from
the
seizing
agency.
Before
23
returning
the
firearms,
the
department
shall,
as
necessary,
24
collect
and
record
information
from
the
firearms,
which
may
25
include
but
is
not
limited
to
serial
numbers.
The
firearms
or
26
ammunition
may
be
held
by
the
department
of
public
safety
and
27
may
be
used
for
law
enforcement,
testing,
or
comparisons
by
the
28
criminalistics
laboratory
of
the
department,
or
destroyed
or
29
disposed
of
by
the
seizing
agency.
30
Current
law
requires
all
forfeited
weapons
and
ammunition
31
with
an
aggregate
value
of
more
than
$500
to
be
transferred
to
32
the
department
of
public
safety
for
use
in
law
enforcement,
33
testing,
or
used
for
comparisons
by
the
criminalistics
34
laboratory,
to
be
destroyed,
or
to
be
disposed
of
pursuant
to
35
-3-
LSB
1513HV
(3)
85
rh/rj
3/
4
H.F.
536
the
procedures
established
in
Code
section
809A.17(5)(b).
1
The
bill
requires
forfeited
firearms
or
ammunition
to
be
2
transferred
to
the
seizing
agency.
The
bill
further
provides
3
that
the
seizing
agency
may
use
a
forfeited
firearm
or
4
ammunition
for
law
enforcement,
testing,
or
loan
or
transfer
5
to
the
department
of
public
safety
for
comparisons
by
the
6
criminalistics
laboratory,
or
that
the
firearm
or
ammunition
7
be
destroyed,
or
disposed
of
pursuant
to
the
procedures
8
established
for
the
department
of
public
safety
in
newly
9
designated
Code
section
809.21(2).
10
The
bill
does
not
restrict
the
use
of
the
proceeds
from
11
the
sale
of
seized
firearms
or
ammunition
by
a
local
law
12
enforcement
agency.
Current
law
and
the
bill
provide
that
13
the
proceeds
from
the
sale
of
firearms
or
ammunition
by
the
14
department
of
public
safety
in
Code
section
809.21,
less
15
expenses,
be
deposited
into
the
general
fund
of
the
state.
16
-4-
LSB
1513HV
(3)
85
rh/rj
4/
4