State Treasurer Riley Moore visited Berkeley Springs on Thursday, June 30, to present a $6,502.50 check to Sheriff K.C. Bohrer and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department – proceeds from the Treasurer’s Office’s recent unclaimed property firearms auction.

“It’s my pleasure to partner with local law enforcement agencies across the state,” Treasurer Moore said. “The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, and other agencies, will be able to use the funds from our Office’s firearms auction to pay for training programs and upgraded equipment to protect their officers and members of the community.”

The firearms auction, which occurred March 24 in Charleston, raised $109,800 to benefit the participating law enforcement agencies. The auction raises funds by selling outdated, unclaimed or old firearms, ammunition and related accessories in police inventory to qualified bidders.

This year’s auction featured the largest number of participating law enforcement agencies, with 19 submitting inventory.

Under West Virginia’s Unclaimed Property Code (Chapter 36, Article 8A), state and local law enforcement agencies are allowed to turn over any unclaimed, seized or outdated firearms in their possession to the State Treasurer’s Office for auction.

These include weapons that are older and no longer used by a department, or that have been seized as evidence and sitting in storage rooms for an extended amount of time following the disposition of a case. They can also include weapons taken from individuals who are not legally allowed to own firearms.

Once law enforcement certifies they cannot find a lawful owner of the firearms, they can be turned over to the Treasurer’s Office for auction.

The proceeds from the auction are then returned to the submitting agency for use.