The state House voted Thursday to slam the door on gun buyback programs -- even when the owners specifically ask that their weapons be destroyed.
Rep. Brenda Barton, R-Payson, said HB 2455 simply clarifies existing laws which requires governments to sell any weapons that have been seized. The law also covers "found property,'' which is defined as anything recovered, lost or abandoned that is not needed as evidence.
But that has not stopped several communities from continuing their programs, saying they remain able to obtain -- and destroy -- weapons given voluntarily to police. So this legislation, approved on a 36-23 margin, addresses that by adding the word "surrendered'' to what is considered found and therefore must be sold off.
The Republican-controlled House even rejected a proposal to allow communities to have buybacks if there are no public funds involved -- and even if the owner of the weapon specifically says he or she wants it destroyed. Barton said that misses the point.
She said that any weapons that a city or county acquire are "assets.'' And Barton said they should be sold off to help balance the budgets.
And Rep. Justin Pierce, R-Mesa, said there's no reason for government to get involved. He said anyone who wants to destroy a weapon remains free to give or sell it to any private company.
"We do not need a law for that,'' he said.
The measure, which now goes to the Senate, would put a halt to the programs run by several cities where individuals are encouraged to turn in weapons they no longer want or want out of their homes.
Some are run strictly as drop-off locations. And some provide an incentive of sorts, with merchants providing gift cards as partial compensation.
In either case, though, the weapons are destroyed.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, who pushed the unsuccessful bid for an opt-in voluntary destruction program, said he believes that removing some guns from the street can reduce violence. Pierce disagreed.
"The reality is we have no hard evidence that tells us criminals are the ones that are bringing these guns to these sort of programs in order to have their guns taken off the street,'' he said. And Pierce said requiring the sale of these guns actually promotes public safety.
He said the law requires that cities sell their guns only to federally licensed firearms dealers. And they, in turn, are required to conduct background checks on any prospective purchasers.
"What this is doing is taking guns that come into a municipality's possession and putting them in the hands of responsible people,'' Pierce said.
House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, said lawmakers should stay out of what is a matter best left to local officials and police officers.
"They need to make the decisions that are best for their community, not us,'' he said. "We should not be forcing our opinion on our local governments and forcing our local law enforcement agencies to make the wrong decisions.''
And Campbell chided supporters of the legislation for saying that it protects Second Amendment rights.
"If a firearm owner willingly wants to turn in their gun, that's actually their right under the Second Amendment,'' he said.
Rep. Ethan Orr, R-Tucson, however, said government involvement is unnecessary.
"There is actually an organization, a nonprofit here in Phoenix, that takes unwanted firearms and turns them into art,'' he said. "I would recommend that we look to the nonprofit and the private sector as a solution to this problem, not to municipalities.''
But Gallego said there's a reason to have police involved in the process: They can check to see if the weapons are wanted in connection with any crimes.
Gallego also tried to craft out an exemption for Pima County, "one county that's particularly been affected by gun violence.'' That also was beaten back by the GOP majority.
Deddzone posted at 7:45 am on Mon, Mar 11, 2013.
Why is the GOP so afraid of the government? They are NOT coming to take your guns--it will never, ever happen. The hysteria from the modern-GOP is insane.
If people do not want their guns, there should be a safe place to take them---not turn them into art or get the private sector involved.
Let's be honest, history will judge this moment when so many are killed by gun deaths and ONE political party, backed by the crazed NRA, stood in the way of protecing the people as the moment the GOP lost it's soul.
Hellraiser posted at 2:57 pm on Mon, Mar 11, 2013.
Dedd... Hitler would have liked you! You are a moron..
Ordnance posted at 6:41 pm on Mon, Mar 11, 2013.
Dedd, you are a lunatic. History will judge this moment? You should calm down and actually read some factual reports on modern history. There's a nice 55-page article out there about governments and gun control, specifically Hitler's Germany, and the gun control that led to the eventual genocide of German Jews and Pols.
And as far as the "crazed NRA," I am sure you are aware that they get most of their money from individual contributions, from American citizens, correct? 4.5 million official members, and the largest growing demographic in the country right now. And 315,000,000 guns owned by 125,000,000 law-abiding citizens is a tough number to argue with in the anti-department. As far as the GOP losing it's soul, I think it is just undergoing an identity crisis, as old players retire, and new players come into the party. As far as the Democratic Party, the party of slavery, the party that was openly against civil rights for over a century... well, that party never really had a soul. Just a bunch of nutters always speaking out against this or that, but never actually stood for anything.
CSalafia posted at 4:43 am on Tue, Mar 12, 2013.
Good to see the (R)s in the AZLeg are still doing the NRA's bidding.
What a bunch of toadies.
Oh, and more than 50% of the NRA's money comes from gun and ammo manufacturers and somehow they still maintain a 501(c)(3) non-profit status. They should, in fact, be redesignated as a lobbying firm.
DonMey posted at 9:18 am on Tue, Mar 12, 2013.
Did you guys see Mark Kelly (husband of Giffords) went out and bought himself an AR-15 the day after giving a gun control speech, saying you didn't need an AR-15?
Deddzone posted at 10:01 am on Tue, Mar 12, 2013.
Hellraiser, what a silly comment. Not worth a mature reply.
Ordance, another one thinking the Government is about to take their guns away and Obama is Hitler. It's amazing---how does one get so looney?
The NRA has LOST membership in the last few years. Why? Because they are no longer the decent organization that supported commen sense, but after mass killings of children in schools, they hysterically called for more guns and zero laws to close loopholes and block the mentally ill from buying guns. The NRA has lost respect from the people.
And I do agree with the poster who says the NRA is nothing more than a rightwing lobby. They feed fear into the minds of voters that their guns will be taken away and socialists are coming for them..... pure propaganda. Now who in history used that to wage war?
Mike McClellan posted at 10:28 am on Tue, Mar 12, 2013.
A. Gun buy back programs are just feel-good stunts
B. Having said that, I find it ironic that small-government Republicans (at least that's what they claim to be) continually foist Big Government on localities in our state when they feel like it.