Supervisors point to last spring's gun buy-back program as a reason why they struck down this idea.
"I could be kind of almost strange that we on one hand turn around and we have gun buybacks. Through those gun buybacks we have taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 guns and now we are going to turn around and say we are going to send 700 guns into circulation again. I just thought that was not the message we want to give," said Board of Supervisors President Don Horsley.
The captain who made the proposal says he is fine with the decision.
"It was a fiscally driven decision to try and make some money so we can take care of the people's tax. We didn't come in here with our dukes up, we weren't looking for a fight," said San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Capt. John Quinlan.
"Essentially the sheriff has $6 million in reserve, so I think they are adequately funded," said Horsley.
The board did like one part of the proposal -- to allow deputies to buy their own firearm, for sentimental reasons.
"If they wanted to keep it as a personal memento for their service in public safety, then I want allow them to do that," said Horsley.
If an officer chose to buy the gun for sentimental reasons, they would not be allowed to resell it.
