Gun Buyback - I did my part at the last buyback
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the City of Atlanta sponsored a so-called buyback last year on Nov 6th. When Reagan was president and when I had my FFL I came into possession of a Davis 2-barrel Derringer and a very weird import revolver in 38 special. (It did not have a crane. To save manufacturing costs the cylinder was removable, giving speed reloading a new dimension. And it was an import in a Gold finish not even its mother could love.) Definite buyback fodder at $50 each.
Of course there was no parking at City Hall so my courageous wife boldly went in with the junk hardware. Going in later I nearly lost my dual spydercos at the City Hall police checkpoint , which would considerably have changed the economics of my proposed trade. The sale had a logo: Guns bring out the BEAST in us not the BEST in us. Hmmm. The guns are traded for vouchers and then the vouchers cashed at another table (presumably internal control to prevent theft of guns and money by the buybackers). After inspection the guns were piled in a coffin from a local funeral home. I, of course, made a bee-line for the coffin to see what I could have bought for $51 had I been competitively pre-screening the sellers.
The guns were total junk, mostly .22 single shot rifles, old .410 gauge shotguns, Ravens, etc. It looked like there could have been a MAC10 with folding stock (full auto?) stuffed in the pile. Some police were examining what they were calling an M16. I was not well sighted but the furniture looked more Mitchell than Colt and the visible length of the barrel was a mass of red rust resembling a BB gun left in the garage too long.
$50 cash per gun with no questions asked was the advertised offer. But they were the victims of their own success. I was tagged #288 and my wife was told they were out of money and that they had exceeded their budget with $15000 spent. She was told this AFTER she turned in the guns. (Arithmetically 300 guns at $50 each = $15K). But they issued her a SCLC voucher in her name. (hey that no questions part only applied to the police not the bank). And was promised to be paid Tuesday after 2pm.
The subsequent Tuesday we trekked off to the SCLC on Auburn Avenue, easy to find for any native Atlantan. The SCLC had an office passing out crisp $50 bills in a perceived high crime district (maybe they kept a few of those guns after all). My wife went in to grab the cash while I stood guard, armed guard. Cynically I had expected to be blown off with some story instead of getting our two crisp bills, but miraculously there was no hassle, no questions, and the cash was there.
So I now have $100 to apply to buying that custom Thunder Ranch Baer Custom 45.
Buybacks! You gotta love people making the world a better place with your tax money.
