The Hardeman County Sheriff gun auction will put more than 200 firearms up for bid on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the Hardeman County Criminal Justice Complex in Bolivar. The Sheriff’s Office announced the sale Monday, Oct. 5, on its official website. Bidding starts at 9 a.m., and every buyer must pass a background check before taking any gun home.
Bolivar is the Hardeman County seat, just up the road from Middleton, so the sale is within easy reach of hunters and collectors in Middleton and north Tippah and Benton counties as fall hunting seasons get underway.
Hardeman County Sheriff Gun Auction: Date, Time and Place
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Start time: 9 a.m.
Location: Hardeman County Criminal Justice Complex, 505 S. Main Street, Bolivar, TN 38008
Auctioneer: Ferge Auctions & Realty, LLC
Firearms offered: more than 200
The Sheriff’s Office said the sale will offer “a large selection” to qualified buyers. Photos it released with the announcement show a mix of long guns, including a cased Benelli M2 semi-automatic shotgun in camouflage, a pump-action shotgun and a wood-stocked shotgun.
Who Can Buy
The Sheriff’s Office stressed that the auction is open only to people who can legally buy a firearm. According to the announcement, every purchaser “must successfully pass the required background check before taking possession of any firearm.”
Under federal law, licensed dealers and auctioneers who handle firearm transfers run buyers through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). People barred from owning guns, including convicted felons and those under certain protective orders, cannot buy. Out-of-state buyers should know that federal rules generally limit interstate handgun transfers. Mississippi residents interested in a handgun should ask the auctioneer how those purchases will be handled before bidding.
How to Register and Get More Information
The Sheriff’s Office said Ferge Auctions & Realty, LLC will provide registration details, terms of sale, payment methods and any preview times. Anyone planning to attend should contact the auction company ahead of the sale and bring a valid government-issued photo ID on auction day.
Law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and other states regularly sell firearms that have been forfeited, seized, or left unclaimed once cases are closed and legal holds are lifted. The money usually goes back into the agency’s budget. The Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office did not say in its announcement where the guns came from or how the proceeds will be used.
Other Hardeman County Dates This Month
The auction comes during a busy stretch for Hardeman County. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Oct. 14 through Oct. 29, so some residents may be able to vote and then go to the auction in Bolivar the same week.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
