
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 6, 1994                   TAG: 9401060151
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

GOVERNMENT TO STOP SELLING ITS USED GUNS

After allowing federal agencies to dump more than 60,000 used firearms into the civilian marketplace for more than a decade, the General Services Administration announced late Wednesday that it is halting the practice.

Gun sales by federal departments to civilian dealers are banned unless the GSA grants a waiver. Since 1982, the agency said, it had granted 20 such waivers - 13 in the past three years alone - for 61,901 guns. Affected by the decision are pending requests by four agencies to sell 37,000 guns.

"This directive means they will not get any waivers," said spokesman Hap Connors.

He said the pending waiver requests were from the FBI, Customs, State Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. An undetermined number of waivers granted but not yet acted on have also been revoked. As a result, the guns will be destroyed.

- Newsday

by CNB