“Was there only one copy, and only on brass? If the brass plates were the only copy, then by taking them Lehi would deprive the Jews of the record (remember that without these scriptures, a nation will perish – 1 Ne[phi] 4:13, 15). If there were other copies, why didn’t Lehi try to obtain one of those, instead of getting a copy at the cost of a man’s life?”

Richard Packham, packham.n4m.org/brassplates.htm