When the City of Seattle announced plans to melt down officers’ old guns in the “fight against gun violence” for a loss of $30,000 a year in trade-in money, they encountered an unexpected obstacle: aside from common sense, The Seattle Police Officers Guild.

“It looks like a waste of city money and it looks like an ill-advised move that was done without regard for our collective bargaining agreement,” said SPOG President Ron Smith.

Smith said according to the agreement, retiring officers are supposed to be able to buy their service weapons.

The plan, which was approved unanimously by the City Council on Monday and strongly supported by Mayor Ed Murray, is aimed at preventing officers’ old guns from getting into the hands of criminals.

Currently, if a retiring officer chooses not to buy their service weapons, they’re sold by Gunarama Wholesale for approximately $300 a piece. With an average of around 100 officers retiring annually, that’s $30,000 they could use for new firearms or put toward upgrades in equipment.

“That $30,000 would go to pay for quite a lot of things,” Smith said.

However, Mayor Murray thinks focusing on what “could happen” rather than facts and hard data.

When Murray was questioned by a local reporter to cite any examples of former service weapons being used in crimes, he came up blank – but that didn’t stop him from creating a problem for his solution.

“(But) the point here is, we have an epidemic of gun violence,” Murray said. “People who should not have guns, have guns.”

Okay, but they’re not former Seattle Police Officer’s guns, dear Mayor.

This is one newsreel you have got to see to believe, guys:

Hellbent on burning the city’s money and guns, this is one Mayor who needs to be reigned in.