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."

Jeffrey A. Lash, of Pacific Palisades, California, died last summer of natural causes, but left behind a stockpile of more than 1,500 guns, 6.5 tons of ammunition and nearly $250,000 in cash, according to local ABC-owned station KABC-TV. All of the purchases were legally made, KABC reported.

The reason Lash amassed such a collection remains a complete mystery.



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Lash did not leave behind a will, so his first cousins and closest relatives are set to inherit the stockpile, according to Brookman, although the inheritance is still in litigation.

The family members are taking a firm stand in deciding that they want nothing to do with the weapons, or the millions of dollars they could earn from selling them, Brookman explained.

"They don't want them to contribute to the carnage," he said. "Especially in light of San Bernardino and Orlando, as ordinary citizens they feel like a stand should be taken."

He added: "The relatives are wanting to send a message not just to the nation at large, but also to our elected leaders."

The family's stance comes as Congress has been debating gun control measures over the past week.

On Monday, the Senate rejected four gun safety measures that came to the floor for voting. Today, Democrats organized a "sit-in" on the House floor to protest Republican inaction over gun violence.





