By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- On a segment of ABC News, a lawyer for the disputed heirs of a mystery man claim to want five million dollars of his estate destroyed, to make a political statement.
Jeffrey Lash legally accumulated 1,500 guns and six and a half tons of ammunition, valued at more than 5 million dollars. He likely got most of his money from the women in his life, including his fiancee of 17 years.
His estranged cousins from Los Angeles wish to have that part of the estate destroyed to make a political statement.
Several woman who lived with Jeffrey Alan Lash are involved in litigation over the estate. The prime candidate seems to be Catherine Nebron, who was Lash’s fiancée. Her lawyer says that Lash manipulated Nebron and essentially held her captive while she financed his endeavors. At least two other women were involved with Lash. From abcnews.go.com:
Family members set to inherit a stockpile of guns and ammunition, worth millions of dollars, plan to destroy the weapons “to send a message,” their attorney Daniel Brookman told ABC News today.“They want these instruments of death to be destroyed,” Brookman said. “They don’t want these weapons out on the street.”
According to Brookman, Lash’s stockpile was worth an estimated $5 million.
A year after an autopsy said Lash died at 60 years old from natural causes, Los Angeles police said he legally purchased the firearms.
Nebron’s lawyer claims now they were hers to sell.
“They can be sold through the Department of Justice and may be sold to police departments, but there is no point in destroying them,” Nebron’s lawyer Harland Braun said.
The story reminds me of Solomon’s famous decision involving the two prostitutes who both claimed one baby. He found the true mother by saying that he would divide the infant in two and give a half to each. The real mother said no, and Solomon used her affection to determine that she was the true mother.
All of the firearms were legally purchased. Destroying them does nothing but enrich arms manufacturers. If they are destroyed, more will be manufactured, instead of satisfying that demand with firearms that already exist.
Anyone who understands the most basic laws of economics understands the logic of this. If the cousins actually wanted to effect policy, they would be far better off selling the guns at auction and using to proceeds to lobby for the policies that they prefer. When you look at the pictures, you see a lot of guns that are perfectly legal in California. I do not see a single “assault weapon” even under the silly definition in Callifornia law.
Could the cousins and/or their lawyer be hoping to cash in on the current politically correct media frenzy over mass shootings? The lawyer stated that the mass shootings were important for the cousins decision. Might they hope that a politically correct judge will be more sympathetic to their politically correct views?
Who can know the human heart. I am no Solomon.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.