Phoenix police estimate that more than 800 guns were turned in during this weekend's buyback event, billed as being the biggest gun-buyback event in the history of Arizona.
Those guns will all be destroyed, since the new law preventing the destruction of guns turned over during buyback events in Arizona won't go into effect until later this year.
See also:
-City of Phoenix Gun-Buyback Program Not Affected by New Law, for Now
-Jan Brewer Signs Bill for Gun Rights (As in Giving the Rights to the Guns)
-Mayor Stanton, Unveils Gun-Buyback Program in State of the City Address
For comparison purposes, Phoenix Police Sergeant Steve Martos tells New Times a gun-buyback event in December 2011 brought in 220 guns.
The official count won't be known for a few days, as the folks in Phoenix PD's property room have to process each one.
Now, the program touted by Mayor Stanton and Police Chief Daniel Garcia, which uses private funding, takes place on only two more dates -- May 11 and May 18.
It would seem that the new law -- which specifically bans agencies from "facilitat[ing] the destruction of a firearm," and instead forces them to turn around and sell the guns to dealers -- completely defeats the purpose of the gun buybacks, and would end any future dates for the Phoenix program.
However, we caught an Associated Press story quoting Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik -- also known as "gun Hitler," if you watch the Colbert Report -- saying the law has plenty of potential loopholes.
Since the law says the cops and governments have to sell the guns collected in buybacks, Kozachik suggested putting price-tags on the guns of $100,000, or sell them for a penny each to someone who would destroy them.
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