As most Truth About Guns readers are likely aware, so-called gun “buybacks” have proven ineffective at curtailing violent crime. But that doesn’t stop cities, counties and other government entities from continuing to hold these futile events.

Take Chicago, one of the most violent cities in the country, as an example. The Chicago Police Department recently held two such no-questions-asked events. The “buybacks” took in 229 firearms and 95 replica firearms for a whopping sum of $100 each. At that princely sum, it’s no wonder that the only people wanting to participate are little old ladies who have an old gun in the closet.

Before looking at how those “buybacks” and all others are simply a PR ploy, however, let’s first dispense with the whole notion of “buybacks.” Since the government never owned the firearms they are attempting to take possession of in the first place, “compensated confiscation” is a much better term for these proposals. Of course, that doesn’t sound quite as good on a big-city mayor’s resumé as a gun “buyback.”

Now, on to the good stuff. A May 2021 study titled “Have U.S. Gun Buybacks Misfired,” authored by Toshio Ferrazares, Joseph J. Sabia and D. Mark Anderson, and published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, concluded that Gun Buyback Programs (GBPs) have no measurable impact on reducing violent crime.

“Our findings provide compelling evidence that U.S. GBPs have not deterred gun crime, firearm-related homicides or firearm-related suicides in either the short- or longer-run,” the study concluded. “The precision of our estimates is such that, with 95 percent confidence, we can rule out gun-crime declines of greater than 1.3 percent in the 12 months immediately following a buyback. One or more years after a GBP is held, we can rule out declines of greater than 2.3 percent. Our general null findings are consistent with descriptive evidence that firearm buyback prices are set too low to appreciably reduce the local supply, most GBP participants are drawn from populations with relatively low crime risk, and guns bought back tend to be older and less functional than the average firearm.”

While that’s interesting, the study also revealed something more damning about such “buybacks.”

“Moreover, we find some evidence of a small, short-run increase in gun crime in the two months following a GBP,” the researchers wrote. “This result is consistent with the notion that GBPs primarily target low-risk firearms that are more likely to deter crime than be used in the commission of it and with the hypothesis that some criminals may be emboldened by the perception that victims will be less likely to defend themselves with deadly physical force.”

Now that the notion that such programs deter crime has been put to rest, you night wonder exactly why gun-ban advocates continue to participate in such a charade. The reason, of course, is that they think it makes them look good.

As we reported here back in March 2022, Joel Jones of the Hampton Roads Black Caucus was asked that question prior to that group’s “buyback.” His answer was telling.

“Regardless of what the statistics say, we want to put some attention and show that we care enough and make time to do the program,” Jones told 13newsnow.com.

This whole notion of showing that they care keeps gun-ban advocates from focusing on the true cause of violent crime, namely violent criminals.  ButI guess working to arrest, try and jail violent criminals doesn’t say “we care” as much as buying worthless guns from citizens who were more likely to use them for self-defense than in criminal acts.

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22 COMMENTS

  1. … no questions asked. Gee, how exactly does one get the PD charged with aiding and abetting?

  2. Well it could reduce some of the “ghost gun” supply for older pre serial number requirement firearms but…….. yeah not thinking it would matter with the numbers involved.

  3. And I’s tole my babies momma, ” Now just holds on a minute, if I’s gives my gun to dee po po hows is I’s sposed to rob dee grocee store fo dee milk. Petty soon dee money we gotz fo selling dee gun run out den whut we gonna du?
    An she say I’s can juss steal anuder gun or trade some dope fo one.

    • Have you thought of applying for work somewhere Smooth Criminal, theres other ways to acquire things then stealing or robbing.
      Yes I know holding down a job is a challenge and bears a level of responsibility and,,,,,,,,,oh never mind.

  5. Just when you thought the anti-gun could not get more stupid > the Daily Mail, anti-gun to their core, basically trolls their self with their stupid in an attempt to smear Brandon Herrera as a Nazi because he did a video in 2022 with WWII german guns, and has basically portrayed what hollywood has done thousands of times > Gun fanatic challenging Uvalde congressman for his seat is seen in resurfaced 2022 video promoting Nazi rifle as the ‘original ghetto blaster’. (notice how they also call Herrera “a hard-left conservative) > https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/texas/article-13260505/Gun-fanatic-challenging-Uvalde-congressman-seat-seen-resurfaced-2022-video-promoting-Nazi-rifle-original-ghetto-blaster.html

  6. Proving that GBPs are more for the warm fuzzies and photo opportunities of the organizers as they bask in the glow of “doing something” to stop gun crime.

    • This is also what happens in these ‘gun buy backs’, especially by private organization anti-gun. A lot of the guns end back up in the hands of criminals.

  9. They want more handgunms at these buy backs? Buy backs? Well I suppose if you have to get .givs permission to buy one a person could assume .giv sold it to you. Somehow I feel .giv did not sale the gunm to me, although however the new gunm shop, the only gunmshop around this area, after the other gunshops that closed said it was too hard to stay in buisness seems awful Feddie to me.
    Anyway the BuyBack guys want more handgunms.
    Gunm Buy Backs, if your doing it for the money itd be more profitable to sale the gunm to an individual and if your doing it to keep yourself from committing a crime, hmmmm, don’t see how that works either.
    It’s a fcking joke, like the commercial with the guy saying he was thinking of committing suicide so he locks his gunm and emu nition up.
    LOL uh yeah.

    • Pray the car dont die.—
      And a man with a shotgunm in his hand
      Said gimme your money please
      Wasn’t that strange
      Wasn’t that strange
      To me

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