Alan Korwin relates by email that this is a violation of Arizona law, and calls our attention to another interesting demonstration of hoplophobe/guntard “shoulder thing that goes up” incompetence:
I understand he’s got an article in the works and will link to it when it’s up.
What about using those magical serial numbers to trace the guns to their lawful owners and returning their stolen property?
What I haven’t seen addressed in any reporting is that plan, if carried out, would probably violate the federal Arms Export Control Act.
IANAL, but I am curious whether this applies for property held by the state of Arizona:
“In Arizona there are several subsets of theft. One of the most common types of theft (found in Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 13-1802(A)(1)), requires the state to prove that someone controlled the property of another with the intent of depriving an individual of that property.
However, conversions work differently in Arizona. The main statute controlling the act of conversion is A.R.S. 13-1802(A)(2). Conversion requires the state to prove that someone knowingly used services or property of another for something other than what they were authorized to use it for. Therefore, if goods are placed in the hands of another for a specific purpose, and that person uses it for something unauthorized, then the crime of conversion can be pursued. Unlike traditional theft, Arizona removes the issue of “intent to deprive” from the statute, thereby easing the state’s burden of proof.”
https://www.naeglelawfirm.com/blog/2012/may/theft-conversion-in-arizona-could-you-be-convict/