By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
Key points:
- Sen. John Kavanagh has second thoughts on selling firearms used in crimes
- A gun used to kill a Phoenix police officer may be sold at auction
- Arizona lawmakers may consider expanding the law to include attempted murders
PHOENIX — More than a dozen years ago Sen. John Kavanagh voted along with every Republican in the Legislature to require any firearm used in a crime to be sold off to raise money for local governments.
Now the Fountain Hills Republican is having second thoughts. And the reason is that one weapon that now could be sold was used to kill a Phoenix police officer.
What changed his mind was Julie Erfle filing suit in October to prevent the city of Phoenix from selling off a gun that was used in 2007 to kill her husband, Nick, during an attempted arrest. The man fled the scene but was later killed by police.
Erfle said she believed that the weapon had since been destroyed. It was only after she inquired earlier this year whether police had ever done a trace on the weapon to find out who supplied the gun — they had not — that she learned it was still being held as evidence even though there was no active case for which it was needed.
