Ornate golden guns go on sale

Dozens of ornate, custom-made gold-plated pistols are going on sale in Arizona, US, for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The golden guns were originally made to commemorate the 26 original Arizona Rangers, with almost every inch of the weapons covered in beautiful decorated gold plate and complete with ivory handles.

Each also holds a star and the name of the ranger to whom it belonged.

However, as the guns have elephant ivory of "undetermined origin" on them, non-residents of Arizona are not eligible to buy them.

The Colt.45-caliber guns were originally part of a display owned by Jim Acridge, the former owner of Wild West theme town Rawhide. However, the businessman managed to accrue huge debts, meaning the guns are now the possession of the IRS.

According to local paper the East Valley Tribune, a dealer in antique weapons has claimed each of the 26 guns could fetch around $3,000 (£1,500), meaning individual guns may be sold off rather than the whole set.