Guns belonging to Las Vegas massacre shooter Stephen Paddock could be SOLD at auction
The lawyer looking after the killer's estate faces a 'moral dilemma' about whether to flog off or destroy his arsenal of weapons
GUNS belonging to Las Vegas killer Stephen Paddock could be auctioned – months after doves were released to commemorate the victims of America’s deadliest mass shooting.
The 64-year-old former millionaire accountant, real estate investor and high-limit video poker player owned 50 guns and about 40 firearm components worth about £49,000 ($62,340), says a report.
Alice Denton, the lawyer for the special administrator in Paddock’s estate, which includes his two Nevada homes, is facing a dilemma about what should be done with those weapons, according to an article in .
Fifty-eight people died, 869 were injured and thousands were affected when Paddock fired assault-style weapons equipped with rapid-fire devices from the Mandalay Bay resort late October 1, 2017, into a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers across Las Vegas Boulevard.
Denton, who is involved in passing on the mass murder’s estate – worth an estimated £1million ($1.4m) – is now grappling with what should be done with his large hoard of guns.
She told the NYT: “The money that would come from selling the guns is not a huge amount, but it would help to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Denton is unsure whether the hoard should be flogged off at auction to raise money for the bereaved, or destroy them to show public abhorrence of the horrendous crime.
The lawyer added: “Destroying the guns would send more of a symbolic message to the world that weapons like these should not be sold at any price if death or harm to innocent people cannot be prevented.”
Denton is approaching families of those slaughtered, to get their advice, and she also intends examining legal information to help her decide what to do.
The guns and weapon components, including scopes, are currently with the FBI.
As the killer died without a will, victims’ lawyers successfully asked his mum, Irene Hudson, to pass on his assets to the estates of the 58 people he fatally shot.
One of the victim’s sisters, Mynda Smith, told the NYT it was pointless destroying the arsenal of guns, as it would “not change anything and it won’t bring any goodness”.
Kyle Taylor, 32, whose dad was killed, agreed, however, that it was a moral dilemma as funds raised through any sale could help families.
But she was uncomfortable about receiving money herself “from equipment that was used by someone who took so many lives is creepy and unsettling”.
Cops took cover next to patrol vehicles on the famous strip while the gunman rained bullets from the high-rise hotel into the outdoor Route 91 Harvest Festival during the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's modern history.
Officers formed attack teams and worked their way along hotel hallways before blasting with explosives through bullet-riddled doors of a 32nd-floor room to find the shooter dead amid a cache of assault-style rifles.
Authorities have said Paddock killed himself before police arrived. Investigators believe he acted alone with no broader conspiracy and no link to terrorism.
The officials have also determined that he fired more than 1,000 shots in 11 minutes out the windows and down the interior hallway.
They did not determine what motivated him to meticulously plan and execute the massacre.
Most read in World News
On October 1 2018, a flock of 58 doves was released at sunrise on a day of memorials to the victims.
In December last year, the Trump administration banned bump stocks, the firearm attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns and were used during the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
The regulation gives gun owners until late March to turn in or destroy the devices.
After that, it will be illegal to possess them under the same federal laws that prohibit machine guns.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.