How is that freedom?

I just heard a piece on the news about how Arizona now has a law preventing people from destroying guns in buyback programs.  Apparently some gun enthusiasts were offended by the idea of a program that allowed people to dispose of guns they didn't want in their homes anymore, because those unwanted weapons were subsequently destroyed by the police department.  They believe that since someone somewhere may want those guns they should not be destroyed.

I'm sorry, but regardless of how anyone feels about guns, this is stupid.



If I want to pass along my gun to a government agency to dispose of it properly, how is that a bad idea?  If you want to pass a law saying you can't destroy guns with a specific historical significance that puts them on par with buildings that can't be altered without government approval, then we can talk, but any gun?

One of the arguments I hear all the time from people against gun control is that there are already so many weapons out there that there is no point.  But then when people try to make a dent in the number of weapons in the community by at least getting rid of the ones some people don't want, we aren't allowed to?  Ridiculous.  Buyback programs serve a function some members of the community want, and they should be allowed to have it.

If I have a gun in my home that I had a bad experience with and have decided it's better for my community as a whole that that weapon simply not exist anymore, that should be my right.  It's acceptable to destroy a dog who harms people but not a gun?  If I really did own a gun I wanted gone I should be able to turn it in to my local police department and request they destroy it.

I'm tired of hypocrisy.  I'm tired of one person's idea of freedom trampling someone else's.  I feel like buying a gun today just to saw it into little pieces for my amusement.  Because I can, whether it offends someone else or not.  You don't have a right to not be offended in this country.  That's part of the price of freedom.

UPDATE:  The original version of this post that I put up first thing in the morning was a reaction to my misunderstanding of the story.  I thought the law addressed all guns, not just those acquired in buyback programs and destroyed by the state.  This is why I am not on Twitter!  I think in general it is bad to react too quickly.  But I still don't like this law.