Posted on 03/05/2013 6:31:52 PM PST by marktwain
In a strange twist of emotional symbolism over reason, Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers and Councilman Charles Vierhout voted against the required sale of valuable property to raise money for the police and city of Avondale.
State law requires that confiscated or forfeited firearms be sold, rather than destroyed in a ritual comparable to the medieval concept of the Deodand, where objects could be considered to be guilty of crimes.
The police department has about 1,000 firearms that have been confiscated or surrendered, and they are running out of room.
As demand for firearms is currently high, this is an especially fortuitous time to sell the property. Working firearms are seldom worth less than $100, so the entire collection will probably bring more than $100,000 for the City and police.
Only one citizen complained about the law, and wanted the property destroyed rather than sold.
Destruction of the firearms would only benefit gun manufacturers by increasing demand, although some would argue that it would give an emotional lift to those who have an irrational fear of weapons.
©2013 by Dean Weingarten Permission to share granted as long as this notice is included.
Yes, Mayor Rogers is a Democrat.
Destroying valuable property for emotional reasons betrays the public trust.
I think it would be much worse than a betrayal of public trust.
I think the destruction of $100,000 of public property would be closer to criminal mischief or vandalism.
If state law requires the sale of the confiscated property and she went ahead and ordered the property destroyed she could be guilt of malfeasance in office.
Even these days $100,000 is a lot of money and to a city government with falling property tax and income tax revenues she just does not really have the option to throw away that kind of money.
In Tennessee those guns must be sold by state law. Apparently the same law applies there and they are violating it. Prosecute
Still waiting for the auction date Babs...
http://www.kpho.com/story/17007948/cash-guns-and-ammo-seized-in-casa-grande
Remember, they have over 1,000 confiscated firearms.
And each one is worth at least $100. If the average sale price at auction is $300, and there are 1,700 firearms, we're talking about half a million dollars. That's enough money to hire five more police officers or firemen. It would be criminal to destroy those weapons.
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