Now they're taking guns from the government

Police officers in Los Angeles went to all of the animal control shelters in LA and took away the guns that are kept for putting down large animals, including pistols, shotguns, and rifles.  Apparently it was done by sending police to the shelters, presenting a letter from someone in authority, and seizing the weapons.  Normally, when equipment is to be turned in, you'd expect that someone would make a call, ask the people who have the equipment to bring them to a central location for turn-in, and those orders are followed.  And that's all a gun is: a tool, a piece of equipment.  It's not a magic talisman that makes normally responsible people, including animal control officers, go berzerk and start shooting up the office.  

What happened here was that the police went to the offices of other government officials, and  seized equipment that is used to fulfill a government function as if they were taking them from a criminal.   The animal control officers are reported to have basic police training, including time with weapons, so the reason can't be that they're not as qualified to have guns available to do their jobs as the police themselves are.  

My gut tells me that someone high up in the food chain found out that animal control had some yucky evil guns, and sent the "only ones" to collect them.  Of course, it never occurred that the animal control officers might have a legitimate use for these tools, and might be responsible enough to use them properly, or at least to bring them in for turn-in without assistance from LAPD.  Instead, police were sent to take them under force of law.  I hope that the next time a large animal needs to be put down the police are there to shoot it, because animal control certainly won't be able to do it.

If they're taking guns from other law enforcement agencies, who even the most ardent anti-gun person will argue have a legitimate use for them, how quickly would they follow an order to take guns and other icky things away from the unwashed masses?