An anonymous donor has stepped forward and donated $62,500 to make sure that the guns owned by Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock will be destroyed. According to an attorney for the court-appointed administrator handling the shooter’s estate, Paddock’s entire collection was appraised at a value of about $62,300.
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However, before the guns can be destroyed a court needs to approve that action. Right now, the hearing is set for early March. If the destruction of the guns is approved by the judge, “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.”1 (If the action is not approved, the money will be returned to the donor.)
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The donor, who is said to be a San Francisco software executive, reportedly donated the money to “alleviate some of the pain”2 of the victims’ families (his only stipulation was that the guns be destroyed).
“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.”3
This isn’t a normal case; it’s not often that mass murderers leave assets behind (Paddock’s collection consisted of at least 47 guns of various sizes and strength).
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However, 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.'”4
What’s unclear is how the guns would be destroyed. We will update you in March when a decision is made.
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