NC H583

Authorizes law enforcement agencies to destroy firearms that are unclaimed, confiscated after conviction of certain offenses, or received through buy-back programs, reversing a 2013 state law that prohibited such destruction

Removes requirements that firearms be sold or traded to federally licensed dealers, eliminating provisions that directed sale proceeds to public schools

Expands destruction authority to any law enforcement agency in the county of trial, rather than limiting it to the sheriff's office

Establishes new requirements for firearm buy-back programs, including checking serial numbers against stolen firearm databases, making written determinations about whether firearms were used in crimes, and retaining ballistic evidence before destruction

Takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to firearms seized, found, or received by law enforcement on or after that date