TX: Corpus Christie Police Destroyed 353 Guns Last Year

Firearms Scheduled for destruction by Phoenix Police before the Arizona Law took effect.

Many people would be surprised to learn that police departments in Texas routinely destroy valuable property for political purposes.   That is the case in Corpus Christi, and in many other departments in Texas.   From kztv10.com:

The CCPD will continue their process of destroying guns that are no longer needed as evidence. A total of 353 guns were destroyed last year.

Guns collected by police typically sell to dealers for about $100 each, so the CCPD destroyed $35,000  of assets for no legitimate reason.   Police are not supposed to be promoting a political agenda.   The only reason to destroy these valuable items is to send a political message that guns should be destroyed.

The strange attitude is partly explained by habit.   Democrats in Texas  passed legislation requiring that guns that were forfeited to police had to be destroyed years ago, before the Heller decision.   In Heller, the Supreme Court affirmed that gun ownership is a Constitutional right, eliminating the possibility that the number of guns in circulation could gradually be reduced by attrition.   It is only recently that politicians asked why the assets were being wasted rather than used for the benefit of the public.  The bill was considered so uncontroversial that it was passed with a voice vote.

HB 1421 was passed in 2013, going into effect in September.   It will likely take years to overcome the police habit of destroying valuable guns. 

A number of states are not waiting for police to figure out that it does not make sense to destroy valuable property.   Arizona and North Carolina have passed measures requiring that the property be sold and the proceeds used for the public good.  Kansas passed a similar bill last month.  

Those who wish to see the firearms destroyed cannot give a rational reason for doing so.   It is not as if destroying the firearms reduces the amount of firearms available.   That number has been skyrocketing for six years as gun manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand.   Selling used guns through the same dealers that sell new guns only means that the demand for new guns is satisfied in part by the sale of used guns.   The same people that can buy the new guns, can buy the used guns.

Perhaps Texas will follow the lead of states such as Arizona, North Carolina, and Kansas, and require police to sell these valuable assets rather than wasting the resources.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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