Philadelphia Police Sold Nearly 900 Used Firearms? A Detailed Analysis

The rate of gun violence in Philadelphia and across the nation is staggering. But a shocking new investigation by CBS News and partners has uncovered a dark secret – thousands of firearms once used by law enforcement officers are being recovered at crime scenes years later. In this article we talk about Philadelphia Police Sold Nearly 900 Used Firearms.

The joint investigation by CBS News, The Trace, and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting surveyed 200 police departments nationwide. What they found was deeply concerning – a widespread practice of police departments selling their used service weapons to legally licensed gun dealers when upgrading firearms or officers retire.

Through litigation against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the news outlets obtained disturbing data – over 52,000 guns formerly owned by law enforcement agencies were recovered from crime scenes between 2006-2022.

While no laws were broken, the chilling implication is that weapons previously trusted in the hands of officers to protect and serve have somehow ended up being used for violent crimes.

Philadelphia’s Troubling Numbers

The investigation hit even closer to home for Philadelphians. Data journalists found that the Philadelphia Police Department legally sold nearly 900 used firearms to licensed dealers from 2006-2022.

In an interview, Commissioner Danielle Outlaw stated, “We here in the department take our guns and sell them back to the manufacturer. Half of our weapons are purchased by the officer [upon retirement].”

However, the ATF has not disclosed which specific department’s former weapons comprised the 52,000 guns recovered from crime scenes nationwide.

Commissioner Outlaw acknowledged the seriousness of the findings, stating, “If we find the guns we buy and then take them back and recycle them into crime weapons, then that’s a problem, right? And something we need to talk about and think about.”

A Mother’s Anguish Intensified

For Crystal Hamilton, a South Philadelphia mother whose son Kristian Hamilton-Arthur was murdered in an unsolved 2017 shooting, the revelation compounded her years of grief and trauma.

“This is unbelievable. We have a problem,” Hamilton said upon learning of the numbers. “I’m floored. I cannot believe it.”

Since her 28-year-old son’s death, Hamilton has counseled other grieving mothers and advocated tirelessly for stronger gun control measures to stem the tide of violence.

“As a mother who lost a child to homicide, I had to join the crowd,” she said. “I had to turn my pain into purpose…I had no idea [the gun violence crisis] was that bad until it happened to me.”

The fact that weapons once carried by law enforcement could be used to take lives like her son’s was almost too much for Hamilton to process. “If you want to return a weapon, destroy it,” she stated. “This way you reduce the number of existing weapons.”

Lawmakers Sound the Alarm

When presented with the investigation’s findings, Philadelphia lawmakers also expressed shock and vowed to scrutinize the issue more closely.

“That’s insane,” said State Representative Amen Brown. “We need to find out who is the irresponsible party in this whole thing.”

House Speaker Joanna McClinton called the numbers “astonishing” and emphasized the need for strict protocols. “It is very important that police departments across the country have real safeguards…so that when someone retires or is transferred to another department, the officer’s weapon is destroyed or put back into circulation. But we never have to run the risk of them ending up in the streets.”

A Clash of Legitimate Needs?

Nearly every police department cited the trade-in credit from selling used guns as financially essential for purchasing new firearms for officers. One local department claimed without the trade-in program, buying new duty weapons for over 125 officers would cost close to $200,000.

But the CBS News investigation confirmed most law enforcement agencies were unaware that so many of their formerly owned weapons had been recovered from crime scenes by the ATF.

Philadelphia Mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the findings and the city’s policies and safeguards.

A Systemic Problem Demanding Solutions

While the CBS News data does not prove a direct link between any specific police department’s policies and crime gun recoveries, the overarching numbers raise deeply troubling questions about oversight and accountability for firearms no longer in law enforcement custody.

As Philadelphia and cities nationwide wage a protracted battle against gun violence, the shocking discovery that thousands of former police guns have ended up at crime scenes amounts to a painful paradox.

Institutions meant to protect and serve may be unintentionally contributing to the same cycles of violence and tragedy that citizens like Crystal Hamilton have embodied for far too long.

Resolving this systemic issue and preventing more weapons from falling into the wrong hands will likely require comprehensive reforms and rigorous new safeguards. The stakes are simply too high for the alarming status quo to remain. I sincerely hope you find this “Philadelphia Police Sold Nearly 900 Used Firearms? A Detailed Analysis” article helpful.