Terry Nichols, the conspirator behind the Oklahoma City bombing, has asked a federal judge to allow the sale of his personal weapon collection with the intend of sending half of the proceeds to his ex-wife for child support and the other half to victims of the 1995 bombing.
Nichols filed a handwritten court brief Tuesday in protest of federal prosecutors' request to destroy his gun collection, which was seized from his home after the bombing. They filed a request in November, claiming that the weapons would be used in copycat crimes and add to Nichols' notoriety.
"Mr. Nichols is trying 'to do what's right,' and to utilize those assets in the best possible way for the greatest benefit, not for him, but for others, including the OKC victims," Nichols wrote, adding that the government wants to destroy the guns "for no other purpose than to keep them out of the hands of the American citizens who could benefit from them through hunting and other sportsman activities."
He referred to the 13 weapons in his request as his "last remaining assets," according to the Associated Press.
Conversely, prosecutors say that what the weapons are used for isn't for Nichols to decide. Instead, they argue, the weapons should be destroyed and their value applied to the millions of dollars he still owes in restitution.
Nichols "should not be able to obtain more than the fair market value for his property simply because of his status as a domestic terrorist and the notoriety of the crimes he committed," Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy L. Padden wrote in the filings, according to KOCO-TV.
Nichols alleges that he has been unable to pay child support ever since he was incarcerated and swears that the sale of his guns are "not for his own personal gain but rather solely for the benefit of his ex-wife."
Padden countered this assertion, noting that Nichols has failed to provide any evidence that he has been ordered to pay child support.
Nichols remains in ADX Florence, a.k.a Supermax, in Colorado, where he is serving 161 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after being found guilty on 161 counts of first degree murder, first degree arson and conspiracy in a state court. He was also found guilty of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and involuntary of manslaugher of eight law enforcement officers.
