An Arizona man said he wanted to send a message about guns in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, so he turned his two weapons over to Phoenix police on Tuesday, The Arizona Republic reported.
Jonathan Pring, 36, who owns a coffee shop in downtown Phoenix with his wife, said he called the police to ask if an officer could come pick up his Walther PK380 and Ruger 10/22 tactical rifle.
Pring told the Republic that he was motivated by the mass shooting that killed 59 people and injured more than 500 on Sunday night.
“Who doesn't love Las Vegas?” Pring told the Republic. “I couldn't sleep last night. I was watching news and on Facebook and seeing lots of different posts ... and I was just mad ... I thought, ‘You know what, I'm going to do something.’”
Pring said he could tell the two police officers who arrived were “anxious” about entering the home of someone who declared having guns.
“I think they thought I was going crazy,” Pring told the Republic.
But Pring was able to convince the officers that his intentions were good.
“They said, ‘We appreciate you phoning us and dealing with this as you have and we think you're the sort of person who should have guns instead of these other maniacs,’” Pring told the Republic. “I said, ‘I respect that and I appreciate that, but you got to start somewhere and I'm starting today, right here.’”
Phoenix police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said his department would accept any weapons.
“Phoenix police will accept guns that people no longer want,'' Howard said. “The guns will be tested and entered into NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network), which will allow us to compare them with known crime guns. In accordance with state law, the guns are then sold.”
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