NRA to NYPD: Why Destroy Perfectly Good Guns?

NEW YORK CITY — The firearm industry's favorite lobbying group has a bone to pick with the NYPD.

The National Rifle Association blasted the NYPD's decision to destroy nearly 2,500 weapons that made their way into the wrong hands, calling the decision "shortsighted."

Standing in front of a gigantic pile of guns, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill pledged to destroy 2,421 guns seized by the police Wednesday. The impressive pile of guns contained several handguns, uzis, assault rifles and even a World War I-era Lewis machine gun.

During the announcement O'Neill said that the measure would ensure that none of the weapons "will never be in circulation again to hurt someone."

But the NRA would prefer if the guns were auctioned off to legal gun-owners — the good guys who originally bought the guns that somehow ended up up in the hands of criminals.

"It’s shortsighted to destroy such valuable assets. Guns should be treated just like any other confiscated item and sold at auction to anyone legally allowed to own a firearm," an NRA spokesman told Patch in a statement. "The money raised through such sales could be used to pay for training, equipment, ammunition, or any number of other items most police departments need."

The NRA does have a point. If the NYPD just sold the guns then they could raise money to perform crucial police work — you know, like getting guns off the streets.

The NYPD's announcement to destroy the guns comes one day after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released a report that 92 percent of all handguns recovered by law enforcement in New York City came from out-of-state.

The report points out that 87 percent of all guns and 92 percent of handguns come from out-of-state likely due to the city's tough permit laws.

"The data makes one thing abundantly clear: New York’s strong gun laws are being undermined at every turn by lax laws in other states," Schneiderman said in a statement.

Photo: NYPD