Fair market value for city’s stash of retired guns

Giving Gilroy Police Officers an option to purchase retired guns bought by the city is an idea that makes some sense. But, given the right to buy a retired weapon paid for by the public first is enough of a perk. The officers should pay market value for the weapons.
That seems fair to both the public and the officers who protect us. It’s certainly not a difficult task to determine fair market value and adopting this as a standard for long-term policy will avoid any future controversy.
Had the matter been approached in a forthright way, any controversy could have been avoided altogether. Instead, the item made its way through the back door, creeping quietly onto the consent agenda.
Mayor Al Pinheiro and City Administrator Tom Haglund, who together fashion the City Council agenda, would do well to move any item with the potential for controversy – and certainly any issue that requires a shift in policy – to the discussion agenda.
The officers buying guns isn’t a huge city monetary issue, but it would have ushered in new rules by allowing officers to buy retired guns at a significantly reduced price. That’s an issue that merits Council discussion, plain and simple, and frankly if that wasn’t clear, it points out an inability to demonstrate good judgment.
The logic behind the proposal centered around an officer’s “sentimental attachment” to a retired weapon. That argument would seem more plausible if the subject matter were a police dog. An “appreciation” for a weapon is one thing, a “sentimental attachment” is quite another. Regardless, the guns in question are public property and should be sold at a fair market price.
As for the sentiment that the city should pay top dollar to have the guns melted down, that begs wholly different questions.
Giving the officers first crack is reasonable, giving the officers a public handout is not.