Q&A About Firearms Destruction

How to destroy a gun?

Gulf Coast Gunbusters Firearms Destruction

1. Is this service really and totally FREE for the agency?

Yes it is totally free, there is no charge. Our revenue is generated from the salvage and scrap material.

2. Are you licensed by any federal or state agency?

Yes, we are licensed by the Bureau of ATF for the purposes of interstate transport. We are also licensed as an LLC in Louisiana to do business. For the possession of NFA and DEFACED serials we are authorized, in writing, from ATF and are given 7 days from receipt to destroy the Defaced serials. We do NOT sell any firearms to anyone at anytime.

3. How do you destroy a firearm?

The best and proper way (in my opinion) to destroy firearms is using the GunBusters patented system that utilizes video attached to the American Pulverizer machine that completely destroys the firearms using over 16,000 lbs of force. This machine weighs over 6,000 lbs and is made of heavy duty steel that can handle the force necessary to crush and pulverize any firearm.

4. Do you pickup the firearms or do we have to ship or deliver to you?

Yes we will pick them up. We try to keep it to a minimum of 50 firearms but can also be worked with multiple agencies in your area if you do not have the minimum. In special circumstances we will also make accommodations for less than 50 on a case by case basis. You are more than welcome to bring the firearms to us if you would like to inspect the facility. It is open to all law enforcement. We do NOT recommend shipping only because of the security protocols. I do not feel comfortable with this method but it can be used if absolutely necessary.

5. What is required of us to complete the process?

We have a Memorandum of Understanding that needs to be signed and at the time of pickup we have an agency receipt that shows the number of guns being picked up. The other and rather important document is our Excel file that needs to be filled in prior to our arrival. This file gives us a chance to review and make any corrections and more importantly is what is used to import the data into our ATF Bound Book for record keeping.

6. What do we get from you after the Firearms Destruction is complete?

After we are complete with the destruction process and have made any and all corrections you will receive from us a signed affidavit listing of all firearms attesting to their destruction and DVD(s) containing the Individual Video of each and every firearm that has been destroyed. This DVD is searchable by either the serial number or your case number. So if you give us 100 firearms you will receive 100 separate videos for cataloging purposes. We will also keep a backup copy if the need should ever arise that your agency would need another copy.

7. How long does it take for the destruction process?

That solely depends on our current work load and the number of firearms you send to us. We can normally do approximately 100 guns per week.

8. Do you destroy anything other than firearms?

Yes, we will destroy computer hard drives, cell phones, knives, swords, BB guns, license plates and other miscellaneous items that can fit into the machine. These items are typically NOT video recorded but can be if the agency requests it. Currently we do NOT do narcotics.

9. What if a firearm is so badly rusted that we can not verify if there is a loaded round in the chamber?

Not a problem. Just notify us of the particular firearm(s) that may be loaded and we will handle accordingly. If a firearm is put into the machine loaded and somehow discharges it is in a contained module and will be rendered safe. Although this is not recommended as a normal process.

10. Do you take items that are classified as "Bio Hazard" or with blood and residue still on them?

Yes, but they need to be marked in such a way and contained (bagged,, boxed, etc.) so that we can readily identify them. We will decontaminate the affected items prior to destruction so as not to contaminate the surrounding areas.

11. How secure is your transport? What are your protocols?

We do have strict security protocols and backup critieria in place for transport. However, due to the nature of what we do we can not discuss this in an open forum for obvious security reasons. This is a topic we cover in person with the individual agencies.

As we get more questions about the Firearms Destruction process and How to destroy a gun? or How to destroy a firearm? and we will add it to our Q&A about firearms destruction page here.