Phoenix officials plan to move forward with the donation of up to 600 unclaimed firearms to the National Police of Ukraine, Cronkite News reports. The city council voted unanimously to approve the plan, even though some state lawmakers called for a reversal of the decision. The firearms are valued at around $200,000. Phoenix has a 30-day policy on unclaimed property, including firearms. If nobody claims a firearm in 30 days, Phoenix can dispose of it. In this instance, the city would dispose of the guns by donating them to Ukraine.
“It’s a normal process for us, with these unclaimed weapons, to move them around to other law enforcement agencies,” Phoenix spokesman Dan Wilson said. “And so, the only difference here is that the law enforcement agency is not a domestic law enforcement agency, it’s one outside the country.” The U.S. Department of Commerce previously approved the National Police of Ukraine to receive unclaimed firearms from the U.S. through DTGruelle, the logistics company the city will work with to transfer the weapons.