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TUCSON - The Arizona attorney general says the city of Tucson may be violating state law by destroying guns that have been turned over to police.

In a response to a complaint filed by state Rep. Mark Finchem, Attorney General Mark Brnovich did not indicate whether he will pursue legal action to stop the city from destroying most guns taken in by police, The Arizona Daily Star reported.

Instead, the AG is giving Tucson time to respond to the opinion; the city contends the law that gives the state sway over local matters is unconstitutional.

“The Ordinance, which requires the Tucson Police Department to destroy forfeited firearms, conflicts with state law. The Office recognizes, however, that while the prior case law is most likely distinguishable, there is a question as to whether this matter is of purely local concern and thus the Ordinance might not violate state law,” Brnovich concluded in his report, issued Monday. “The Office therefore concludes … that the Ordinance may violate state law.”

Finchem in October filed a complaint stating that Tucson is violating a 2013 Arizona law that requires the sale of otherwise legal guns obtained by law enforcement agencies. He filed his complaint under a new law that says local governments that violate state statutes lose their state-shared revenue if they don’t stop.

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This is the second time a lawmaker has challenged local control under the law, which passed earlier this year with strong GOP support and was a key part of Gov. Doug Ducey's legislative agenda. In an earlier action, the state challenged the town of Snowflake's enactment of a special tax to benefit a marijuana-cultivation facility. Snowflake council members, in response, repealed the part of their ordinance that Brnovich's office found clashed with state law.

The law has riled municipal officials, who complain the state is using the threat of lost shared revenue to supersede local control. State-shared revenue is a substantial portion of local budgets.

"It is the state meddling in local decisions," said Ken Strobeck, executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. "In this case, there is an honest dispute about charter government. Instead of litigation, however, the state chooses to use this 800-pound hammer," he said, referring to the threat of losing millions of dollars.

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Tucson was among many police agencies in Arizona that had to adapt policies and procedures to comply with the 2013 law requiring the sale of confiscated weapons.

Police in Phoenix held a gun buy-back before the law took effect, collecting thousands of weapons through the events that officers destroyed in September 2013.

Since then, many agencies have stockpiled the weapons they used to scrap as they awaited more clarity on the law and sought to establish agreements with federally licensed firearms dealers.

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said he believes more action against the city will occur related to the law but that he believes the law challenges a city’s sovereign status.

“The city’s position is that (the law) is unconstitutional,” he said.

Tucson officials argue destroying firearms is legal because it is a local issue involving municipal property. Brnovich’s response refutes that claim.

City Attorney Mike Rankin said the city will have to wait and see whether Brnovich pursues legal action against the city.

City records show that the Tucson Police Department has destroyed 4,820 guns since the beginning of 2013.

Councilman Steve Kozachik said Brnovich avoided the issue in his response.

“He absolutely punted the fundamental questions put before him,” Kozachik said.

Reporter Mary Jo Pitzl contributed to this story.