Do gun buybacks do anyone any good?

Do gun buyback programs reduce violent crime?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 37 90.2%

  • Not enough to be worth it

    Votes: 4 9.8%
  • Total voters
    41
S

sparkysteve

New member
My local county Sheriff Dept. recently had a gun buyback weekend. Anyone who brought in a gun recieved $50, and amnesty, unless the gun was traced to a violent crime. The first day they ran out of money and had to shut down. Later, two large local businesses donated a combined $10,000 to keep they buyback going. Authorities claimed this project would "take guns off the streets". But everyone they interviewed on the news looked like anything but criminals. There was a 78 year old widow pictured in the paper dropping off her dead husband's deer rifle. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was probably worth over $50. On the news was a guy dropping off an old S&W revolver his father owned before he passed away. He said it was just sitting around at his mom's house. A gun worth well over $50. They claimed that guns like this are prone to theft and find their way onto the street. I'm just glad that this buyback was funded primarily by local businesses rather than my tax dollars. I was just frustated to see carts full of guns that were going to be destroyed. Maybe next time I'll offer $60 a gun outside the door for anything I like.;) I don't think things like this do much of anything to stop violent crime. What do you think? Sorry I got so long winded.:D
 
buy-back rip offs

At a local gun store a couple weeks ago, I was browsing the used guns and chatting with the shop owner. A guy who was there to use the indoor range wandered over and mentioned how he was at one of the big city police stations a few years ago when they were doing a highly publicized gun buy back. An old lady came in with her deceased husband's WW2 pride and joy: a Luger in pristine shape, inscribed with the name of the German officer who owned it. She was given a whomping $50 for it same as if it had been a rusty junker.
 
Let's see, I knew of a dealer years ago who got rid of a bucket load of junk not worth $1.00 for $50.00. He looked at it as profit.

I have also heard of dealers staking out the buybacks and making offers on things before they finish the trip to the police.

The truth is these things do next to nothing. It is good to get a gun out of the house of an ignorant person. That old lady with her dead husbands 38 in the closet may not even know if it is loaded, or remember it is there. That is a problem if she has grandkids running around. In that sense they do the only good they are capable of, they get ignorant people to get rid of a gun they did not know how to properly store or use in the first place. I gotta wonder how many guns show up at buybacks loaded.

A criminal has a gun though for a reason. He can use that gun to get $50 many more times than the single time the cops will give him money. Then there is the "As long as it hasn't been used in a violent crime" catch. Even if a criminal was goign to turn in a gun do you think he would do so if he thought it connected to a shooting? Perhaps the 2% dumbest would, the rest are going to keep it as far from the cops as possible.
 
I believe that gun "buy-backs" approach zero in terms of how much they do to prevent violent crime.

I have seen coverage of these things repeatedly, and EVERY TIME, the people giving over guns are NOT the criminal element. No one had to worry that these people were going to start robbing and killing with the guns they turn in.

Here in West Palm Beach, about a year ago, the idiot mayor (Lois Frankel) and the idiot police chief (Delsa Bush) got a "buy-back" going, and spent thousands and thousands of dollars of city money. They did this because they have been utterly unable to control violent crime in certain corners of the city (overwhelmingly, what I'm talking about is black-on-black, drug-or-gang-related crime). So in order for these politicians to appear to be doing something, they cooked up the buy-back idea.

The local paper did a story about some schmuck guy who turned in a very very valuable Japanese rifle -- it was some sort of research/test rifle, not a field rifle -- and very rare. It was worth something like $4,000 or more. Someone saw the picture of the rifle in the paper, and got in touch with the guy (or something like that) and told this clueless useful idiot how much he'd just lost, and there was an appeal to the police department and the guy was actually given his valuable rifle back! :eek:

I say, they should have destroyed it. Let people learn a lesson that they are doing this do-gooder nonsense symbolic act for NO REASON, and in the process they are likely ripping themselves off. Let word spread that good, honest people are not served by gun "buy-backs."

I'd like to know how they claim to give amnesty "unless the gun was traced to a violent crime." Do they run a trace, including forensic ballistics testing, right there while the person is turning in the gun? Do they take names, and examine identification before giving the money and taking the gun?

See, if they don't keep a record of who turned in what, how can they give amnesty? What if, upon testing the gun, they find that it was the one used in three local murders??! And they've let the guy go?! :mad:

And what if someone comes up and turns in a gun that has an obliterated serial number on it? (or, how about something that appears to be blood spatter on the muzzle?) Are they going to take the gun, but not charge the person with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number? That's a serious crime, and indicates a good likelihood that the person was involved with other serious crimes. And they'll just let him walk, happy to have ONE gun from him? :mad:


In case you can't tell, my answer to the poll was "No".


-azurefly
 
I have heard of several cases where the officials involved "cherry pick" the
turn ins for choice specimens.
 
Sure they do "anyone" any good.

Namely, the criminals who have a more disarmed populace to deal with.

And politicians, who get an issue to make hay about, in the resulting increased crime.

Also, the police chief and captains who get a few valuable guns to add to their private collections or sell.
 
Do gun buybacks do anyone any good?
Click to expand...

Only for the agency who is conducting the buy back, if a NICE weapon is "bought back" You can bet if that happens, said weapon will find a "new" home instead of being destroyed. Other than that, Buy Backs are not good for anyone.
 
I second the idea above to sit outside a gun buyback and offer $10 more then the buyback price. At my discretion. It would save me the hassle of hosting it yet would provide me with an almost as good of oppertunity to get guns for next to nothing.
 
What?!

An old lady came in with her deceased husband's WW2 pride and joy: a Luger in pristine shape, inscribed with the name of the German officer who owned it. She was given a whomping $50 for it same as if it had been a rusty junker.
Click to expand...

If I was the old man, before I died I'd tell my wife that's a valuable heirloom/trophy and must be passed to the next generation and its story told. Makes me sad to hear that it happened, heck if I was there I'd convince the old lady to keep it, but if she really didn't want it, I'd give that pistol a good home and remember the veteran who killed a propagator of evil for it.


Epyon
 
The only people I can see they benifit are the anti-gun crowd. Buybacks make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside as if they did something good to protect me. What they don't seem to understand is that I don't need or want their protection.
 
The thing to do is to go hit your local pawnshops for Ravens and Lorcins and other cheap crap, and hold onto 'em until a buyback comes along in your area and they are offering $100 for guns you paid $60 for. :D

It is EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED here in West Palm Beach last year when they did the buyback.
The news articles quoted people who had scoured the local shops for crappy cheap guns to "sellback."

I had to laugh, and cheer them to myself.

-azurefly
 
First, stick a rifle cleaning rod up your nostril, and when it hits brain tissue, wiggle it around for about 30 seconds... :rolleyes:


-azurefly
 
Well...

If people are dumb enough to sell away their expensive guns for $50, I'd go up to them in line and ask them if they'd rather sell to me and get a bit more money out of the deal.:) (Of course state law permitting and if I could run the numbers on the gun to make sure it wasn't used in a crime.)


Epyon
 
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