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I recently found myself having a discussion on the concept of a gun byback -- specifically (for the purposes of the discussion) an event in Utica that was sponsored by the state Attorney General's office. The funding came from monies and assets seized in criminal investigations as a pose to tax dollars.
I'm not a fan of seizures (especially as they take place in America today), but that's a subject for another day and I'd appreciate it if we could save it for some other thread.
At any rate, a question came up that I'd like to put to all of you -- if the government buys a bunch of guns, do they have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers to either use those guns in public service or resell them? Does this responsibility differ based on whether the funding for the purchases comes from taxes versus criminal seizures? How about if the government does some fundraising and then uses donated funds to buy the guns?
I'm sure that buybacks that result in destruction are legal, otherwise the AG wouldn't be involved -- so unless they're clearly illegal, I am of course talking about moral responsibility.
I'm not a fan of seizures (especially as they take place in America today), but that's a subject for another day and I'd appreciate it if we could save it for some other thread.
At any rate, a question came up that I'd like to put to all of you -- if the government buys a bunch of guns, do they have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers to either use those guns in public service or resell them? Does this responsibility differ based on whether the funding for the purchases comes from taxes versus criminal seizures? How about if the government does some fundraising and then uses donated funds to buy the guns?
I'm sure that buybacks that result in destruction are legal, otherwise the AG wouldn't be involved -- so unless they're clearly illegal, I am of course talking about moral responsibility.