Last week, the Tucson City Council finally relented and ended its long-standing policy of illegally destroying guns that were seized by police or turned in by citizens. The decision followed a ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that struck down a city ordinance allowing for the destruction of confiscated firearms. Had the city not agreed to end its practice, it would have had to forgo $57 million in shared-state revenues.
As it turns out, Tucson is still going to be out some cash. The Arizona Daily Star reported that the city has agreed to pay $100,000 to the Arizona attorney general’s office to cover the state’s costs of prosecuting the case. Ironically, that figure matches the amount the city had previously estimated it would take in from auctioning off the seized firearms.
Tucson destroyed 4,820 guns since 2013 with an estimated value around $600,000. The city is now auctioning off the confiscated guns to licensed gun dealers.
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