Second Amendment supporters on the Internet are incensed about Benchmade Knives helping their local police department, the Oregon City P.D., destroy guns the department had in their custody.
Benchmade posted a picture on their site, from the Oregon Police Department Facebook page, showing them destroying the guns with Benchmade equipment.
“We apologize for the confusion and concern that this post created. These were firearms that the Oregon City Police Department had to destroy in alignment with their policies. Oregon City Police requested the use of specialty equipment within the Benchmade facility to follow these requirements, and as a supporting partner of our local police force, we obliged the request.
Benchmade is a proud and unwavering supporter of both law enforcement and Second Amendment rights. These are commitments that we do not take lightly and will continue to support well into the future.
When Benchmade started to receive criticism from Second Amendment supporters, they posted this statement from the police:
“When property is to be destroyed, it is the policy of the Oregon City Police Department to destroy property, including firearms, in accordance to our procedures and ORS. The Oregon City Police Department does not sell firearms.”– Benchmade
The Oregon City PD Chief, Jim Band, and the City Mayor have since issued a more detailed statement.
In the second statement, the Police Chief and Mayor imply they have no choice but to destroy the firearms in their custody.
They never mention laws requiring the destruction of the guns turned in to them. They mention judges orders, which police are obligated to follow. But judges do not have authority to destroy guns that are not part of a crime adjudicated by the judge.
A clear policy is mentioned in the first statement Benchmade attributes to the PD:
The Oregon City Police Department does not sell firearms.”Most police departments in the United States do sell firearms. Several states have required police departments to do so, by law. Arizona is one of them. Does Oregon City P.D. destroy their duty firearms when they transfer to a new model? Oregon City has 44 sworn officers.
The reasons most police departments sell guns are clear.
Guns are valuable property. It is poor stewardship of the public trust to destroy valuable property without good reason. Destroying guns does not reduce the number of guns in circulation. It increases the sale of new guns. It does nothing to reduce demand. It only reduces the supply of used guns. It costs money and time.
There are numerous companies that will take used guns off the police chief's hands and write a check in return.
If the guns *must* be destroyed, their are several companies who will legally destroy the receivers and sell the remainder for parts.
Again, they would write a check to the police department. The company does the destruction, and provides proof of the destruction. The police do not have to spend money to do so, or ask Benchmade for equipment to do so.
The destruction of guns is a political statement. It sends the message "Guns are bad." That is what angers Second Amendment supporters. The police and city, and by implication Benchmade, are seen to be choosing sides in the struggle to restore the Second Amendment. They are seen to be choosing the wrong side.
What is the point of a police department destroying guns themselves and not selling the parts? What advantage exists, except to send a statement that guns are bad?
Before we assume the motives of the Chief Band and the Mayor, we should determine if some guns are sold (or traded, or exchanged).
If the destruction is highly selective, Second Amendment supporters will be willing to be nuanced in their response.
I reached out to Captain Shaun Davis of the Oregon City PD for answers to these questions. A phone transfer sent me to his voice mail. A reply has not be received by the time this article was submitted.
©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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