CHARLESTON, W.Va. (The Hinton News) – State Treasurer Larry Pack announced his Office raised $127,670 for 25 state and local law enforcement agencies during its 23rd unclaimed property firearms auction conducted Thursday, September 24 in Charleston.
“Ensuring that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to keep our communities safe is a top priority for every city and county official. We are extremely proud to support their mission in any way we can,” Treasurer Pack said. “At this auction, we were able to raise over $127,000 – an outstanding achievement that directly supports our dedicated law enforcement officers by strengthening their operations. This is a powerful example of how Treasury programs make a real difference in our local communities.”
The event raises funds by selling outdated, unclaimed or old firearms, ammunition and related accessories in police inventory to qualified bidders. There were 388 lots up for bid consisting of 400 firearms and 220 pounds of ammunition.
Since 2014, the State Treasurer’s Office has conducted 16 live onsite firearm auctions. In February 2025, the Office launched its first online firearms auction. Since then, there have been seven online firearms auctions. In total, the Treasurer’s Office has raised more than $1.5 million to benefit 125 law enforcement agencies, including Drug and Violent Crimes Task Forces, West Virginia State Police Detachments and West Virginia Natural Resources Police Districts, across the state.
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(Chapter 36, Article 8A), state and local law enforcement agencies are allowed to turn over any unclaimed, seized or outdated firearms in their possession to the State Treasurer’s Office for auction.
There were 338 federally licensed firearms dealers, including 23 new dealers, from multiple states who registered to participate in the live auction. Bidders were required to be a valid, licensed federal firearms dealer to participate in the auction. The event was not open to the general public.
The 25 of participating law enforcement agencies included:
- Beckley Police Department
- Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office
- Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
- Clarksburg Police Department
- Clay County Sheriff’s Office
- Doddridge County Sheriff’s Office
- Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office
- Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office
- Harrison County Sheriff’s Office
- Huntington Police Department
- Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
- Lewis County Sheriff’s Office
- Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office
- Morgantown Police Department
- Mount Hope Police Department
- Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crime Task Force
- Parkersburg Police Department
- Preston County Sheriff’s Office
- Randolph County Sheriff’s Office
- Roane County Sheriff’s Office
- Spencer Police Department
- Vienna Police Department
- Wood County Sheriff’s Office
- WV Natural Resources Police – Romney, Alum Creek, Beckley, French Creek Detachments
- WV State Police – Clay, Huntington, Madison, Parsons, Romney, Sutton, Wayne, Weston Detachments
More information about State Treasurer’s Office’s firearms auctions is available at www.wvtreasury.gov/FFL-Auction.
