Post Falls woman still waiting on rifle she surrendered in 2022
She handed it to Spokane police to keep it away from someone she feared. Four years later, police say it needs a tax stamp.
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A Post Falls woman says Spokane police still have a rifle she turned over to them in 2022, KHQ reported Nov. 9.
Brandilee Schwark told the station she used Washington's temporary surrender process while living in Spokane because she was worried someone would use the gun against her and her three children. She says that person is no longer in her life.
Schwark says the rifle has never been fired, that she did nothing illegal with it, and that she has filled out the paperwork and has the money to have it transferred. She says no one at the evidence room could tell her where to send it.
The Spokane Police Department told KHQ the rifle is not legal in Washington without the proper federal tax stamp, and called it an ongoing legal matter that the city's legal team is working on. Transfers of that kind go through the ATF, which changed its process in October, the station reported.
After the story aired, police contacted Schwark and told her a letter would arrive by the end of the week explaining how to have the rifle shipped to Idaho, KHQ reported.
What we know
- Schwark surrendered the rifle to Spokane police in 2022.
- Police say the gun needs a federal tax stamp to be legal in Washington.
- Police told her a letter with next steps is coming.
What we don't know yet
- What kind of rifle it is.
- How long the transfer to Idaho will take.
- How many other surrendered guns are waiting to be returned.
Sources
We report from public records and the sources above, in our own words. See something wrong? Tell us and we'll correct it.
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