All firearms used or implicated in a suicide shall be held in evidence for how long after the report?

• A. 6 months
• B. 1 year
• C. 2 years
• D. 3 years

Answer: (B)

When a firearm is involved in a suicide, it’s kept as evidence for a set period to preserve the investigation and the weapon’s condition. The one-year retention window gives investigators time to complete autopsy and toxicology results, ballistic checks, interviews, and any related civil or criminal actions. Releasing it sooner could jeopardize evidence integrity, while holding it much longer than needed ties up property unless an exceptional investigation requires it. So the standard policy uses one year as the minimum retention period, with extensions only by exception if required by ongoing work.