https://www.localnews8.com/news/national-world/donor-gives-thousands-to-ensure-las-vegas-shooters-guns-are-destroyed/992132343

Since their loved ones were killed in the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017, the families of the 58 people who died have faced a difficult decision: Should the shooter's guns be sold and the proceeds given to the families? Or should the guns be destroyed?

Now an anonymous donor has donated $62,500 to ensure that guns owned by the shooter, Stephen Paddock, are destroyed, according to an attorney for a court-appointed administrator handling the shooter's estate. The collection as a whole has been appraised at a value of about $62,300.

Alice Denton, the attorney for the special administrator of Stephen Paddock's estate, confirmed to CNN that the money had been deposited into her trust account.

But the special administrator -- tapped by a court judge after Paddock's mother ceded her son's estate to his victims -- needs court approval for anything regarding the estate, Denton said, including the potential destruction of the guns.

She said she expects a hearing before a probate judge in early March.

The donor first reached out to the New York Times, Denton told CNN, who put him in touch with Denton in early January. The donor -- who the Times described as a "San Francisco software executive" -- told the newspaper he simply wanted to "alleviate some of the pain" for the victims' families. His only stipulation for the money was that the guns be destroyed, the Times reported.

"I think the families would feel better if the weapons are gone," he said.

If the judge approves the destruction of the guns, the donor's $62,500 would then go into Paddock's estate and eventually be disbursed to the families of the 58 victims who were killed in the massacre.

But if the judge does not allow the weapons to be destroyed, the money would be returned to donor, said Denton, who described him only as a "very compassionate person."

Mynda Smith's sister, Neysa Tonks, was among those killed in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Though her family never wanted any money, Smith says, the donor's contribution is welcome news.

"For us, it really is emotional trauma to continually go through things like this, to have situations pop up that are a reminder of the ugliness of it all" Smith told CNN in an interview. "We never wanted financial gain -- it wasn't of importance to us."

"But if this man is willing to pay to destroy something associated with evil, that is a gift to not only us, but to the families and survivors," she said.

'They will always be his guns'

The fate of Paddock's guns has remained a looming question, one nearly without precedent, Denton said.

"I don't think there has been more than 1 or 2 attorneys in the United States that have dealt with a position like this," she said. "Very seldom do you find a mass murderer having assets."

By the time he opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Paddock had amassed a collection of at least 47 guns of varying size and power.

One option is to auction the guns off, but that could be fraught with unintended consequences.

As Denton explained to CNN's Michael Smerconish earlier this month: "The question becomes, if we liquidate these guns and sell these guns, which is required as part of the special administrator's duty, we will be perpetuating the violence that actually caused the death of those individuals."

The collection's fate wouldn't matter to Smith if they were just anyone's guns. But because they belonged to Paddock, they carry a certain significance.

"If it were just guns, there's no good in destroying them," she said. "But it's not just guns. They were associated with him. They will always be his guns. They would buy it with the intent of buying his guns. It can't bring any good to these families."

But not all of the victims' families want the guns destroyed.

Rick Friedman, a lawyer representing the family of another shooting victim, tells CNN that they do not want the weapons used in the attack destroyed. The family is considering litigation against the manufacturers of the guns used in the shooting, and says they should be preserved as evidence.

"The family does not care about guns that were not used in the shooting being destroyed," Friedman told CNN, "...but guns that were used in shooting, they want preserved until any legal stuff is over."

It's unclear how exactly the guns would be destroyed. According to Denton, the FBI in Las Vegas is currently in possession of them. Typically, whatever agency has control of the weapons would be the one asked to destroy them, Denton said, but it's too early to say whether that would be the FBI in this case.

CNN reached out for comment from the FBI's Las Vegas field office Saturday afternoon, but has not heard back.

Probably could've gotten a lot more for them, and in result the families, if they put them up for auction.

Some people have a morbid curiosity like that.

62K seems generous for run of the mill AR15s with bump stocks

Fuck most of them didnt even have sights if I recall

Never would have thought that's something the family even gets back....

I suspect that they are talking about weapons that were left at home and not used in the attack.

Shouldn't be allowed, same reason they gave for not allowing the GFM to build the wall.

As long as the take additional  sample slugs from each gun, certify them by comparing them to LE samples
and bond them in secure storage with an independent third party non governmental source who cares what they do...right

How much did zimmerman get for a kel tek?

How about the hotel room?  Will it also be destroyed since it will always be “his room.”

Frankly surprised that weapons used in the shooting would be released, one would think they are evidence.
I always assumed that any firearms used in homicides were retained by whatever agency is leading the investigation and were disposed of or retained for internatl purposes after the case is closed. I doubt Pookie that knocks off a liquor store and shoots somebody in the process gets his gun released to he or his family.

As to any firearms that were in his collection outside of the shooting, meh, if that is what the estate wanted to do then so be it.

Meh, on the radar of things I am concerned about, this is hardly a blip.
I wouldn't want one of those guns, and I take no issue with them being destroyed. Honestly I just assumed they would all be destroyed anyway, once they were done with the investigation.

The irony is removing these guns from circulation actually drives gun manufacturer's to produce more guns to fill purchaser demand.  

Now I want to buy them just to deny the retard that wants to destroy them.

Group buy?

We can't have evidence laying around now can we?

Feelings...

Yes, let's continue the relentless assault on inanimate objects.

So the escalade driven by a drunk driver would have to be destroyed because of feels?

Yup,

Destroy the guns so we don’t learn the truth goy

If they quit doing shit like this, I may have more faith in the criminal justice system.

A year plus later we have no idea who this guy is, why he committed the worse mass shooting in the history of the US, and who he is affiliated with.

But thank god we're destroying evidence, which apparently is no longer needed?

IDGAF about the accusations of tin foil hats. . . . . This whole thing is so WTF.

"The question becomes, if we liquidate these guns and sell these guns, which is required as part of the special administrator's duty, we will be perpetuating the violence that actually caused the death of those individuals."

This is what people really think. That selling firearms is a form of violence. This is why if you are a gun owner you are irreedeemable.

So you're saying that, if private property is used to commit a crime, the state can then seize that property permanently? I'm sorry but that makes no sense. It goes back to the owner, or if the owner is legally barred from ownership or is dead, then his estate.

Did the atf ever get to inspect the ones used?

His car, his coffee table, his washing machine....

Funny how these guns are the subject of a FOIA right now.

That doesn't answer the question.

Virtue signalling.  Period.

Some how I doubt the appointed attorney would ever put them up for auction as the public out cry would be insane. Can you picture the headlines "Mass Murderers Guns could be on the street again to kill".

They should just condemn and bulldoze Las Vegas then.

Can I have some DD barrels, DD rails, DD BCGs before you'll destroy them please?

Just let the estate despose of them how they see fit.

If some nut bought one and used it to murder a bunch of people it would be ban time.

This includes guns he owned that were not used in the shooting. This also may be like the drug bust math.

Doesn't matter.

I'm sure that the ones that were used were a bad influence on the rest of them. Once they run with a bad crowd, there's no going back.

CIA is trying to buy the guns to have them destroyed. Got it, not weird at all.

Another thought:  Someone should offer the estate substantially more money to buy them.  Then the Special Administrator has a fiduciary duty to consider the best offer (subject to waiver by all interested persons/heirs/court approval).  The gun destroyer donor would then have to counter.   Just a dumb thought, as I don't care what happens to the guns, and I can sympathize with victims who would prefer the guns destroyed.

What shooting in Vegas....? Don't know what your talking about.  It's almost like it never happened.

This has got to be the oddest crime in the 50 years I've been alive.  Poof - nothing to see here.

Hell, I know more about the (minors) at Covington HS than I do about a mass murderer from a year ago.

This is only second in sketchiness to the JFK killing - we have not received one honest answer in this case.

No, the idea is to destroy the evidence before the world learns that the guns actually used were illegal machine guns having nothing to do with what kind of stocks they had. This case is pivotal to the antis which is exactly why no information has been or will be forthcoming about the guns, just propaganda.

While I once purchased a S&W stainless snub that had “DETROIT POLICE” stamped along the grip spine and may have taken a life in the line of duty, I’d personally feel hinky about having a weapon that was used in the Vegas shooting.  That would never feel right to me.

Bloomberg is that you?

So he purchased an illegal bumpstock?  When will he be arrested?

They don't call them evil black rifles for nothing.

Hold up.

If Bump Stocks are ”machine guns” and once a machine gun, always a machine gun- and these guns are the ACTUAL FUCKING guns that were used in the biggest mass shooting in US history, how can anyone not an SOT own them?