The Arizona Supreme Court will hear a case based on a complaint filed by Attorney General Mark Brnovich that the city of Tucson’s practice of destroying guns seized by police rather than selling them is illegal.
Brnovich has claimed that by destroying the guns, the city is violating a 2013 state law that requires the sale of otherwise legal guns obtained by law enforcement. Since 2013, nearly 5,000 guns—more than 85 percent of the guns turned in by citizens or seized from criminal investigations—have been destroyed at the hands of the Tucson Police Department. The city has countered by saying it is free to destroy the guns it owns and that the law unconstitutionally infringes on local rights.
Written legal arguments are due by Feb. 15, and the high court will hear oral arguments on Feb. 28. At that time, justices will also determine if a 2016 Arizona law that allows the state to withhold state funds from cities if they enact laws conflicting from state laws is constitutional.
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