buyback

TTAG has been highlighting the futility of so-called “buy-backs” since ever. Not only do gun buybacks have no appreciable impact on firearms-related crime, the practice panders to and promotes the gun control gestalt (i.e., guns are the problem). Not to mention the fact that gun buybacks create a black market for stolen firearms and destroy valuable evidence of crimes. Oh, and the hypocrisy of anti-gun politicians proclaiming that they’re “doing something” about “gun violence” by subsidizing gun buybacks with taxpayer money is extremely galling. By now, though, there are plenty of people who see that the emperor has no clothes. Does that deter the anti-gunners from their buyback jihad? It does not. To wit this via fayobserver.com . . .

No one wants to see another shooting death. The gun buyback offers a worthwhile attempt to rein in violence. But that potential is limited.

The guns collected in Winston-Salem represent a small percentage of the arms on the streets. The city’s assistant police chief, Bryan Blakely, talks less about arms reduction and more about bringing “awareness to the fact that gun violence is everywhere, and we are trying to reduce it.” He says he can’t quantify their success.

Many submitted guns came from law-abiding people interested in the rewards. Since police check serial numbers for stolen weapons and use in previous crimes, crooks could be gun-shy.

Despite these reservations, a well-administered program with community support can have a positive effect.

Hmmm. According to the Winston-Salem police gun buyback website, people bringing in guns will have to give their name. Will they have to show ID? Doesn’t seem so. So even though the police will check guns to see if they were used in a crime, the weapons can’t be tied to, uh, anyone.

Anyway, the majority of the guns turned in will probably be the same broken-ass crap that shows up at gun buybacks around the country.

37 COMMENTS

  1. I’d like to see gun give-aways. More than just an occasional rifle or pistol given out as a promotion- events where whole crates are given out freely to eligible participants. That would embrace the spirit of the 2nd amendment.

      • Can’t speak for him, but in my case it’s the fact that when I open my wallet, all I get is an echo.

  2. Dear George. Do you like my new hat? I needes some extra spending money and I saw your Smith & Wesson M&P 15, with the EOTech 556 red dot and the 3X Magnifier with Flip-to-Side Mount just sitting in the closet collecting dust. So while you were at your girlfriends house I took it to the police buy back program and got enough money to buy this new hat. How do you like it?

    PS I didn’t think you would need the 6 30 round Magpul mags any more so I threw them in along with the 200 rounds of ammo you had.

    • Definately. It is a huge waste of taxpayer money and police man hours which translate into more taxpayer money.

    • “The city’s assistant police chief, Bryan Blakely, talks less about arms reduction and more about bringing ‘awareness to the fact that gun violence is everywhere, and we are trying to reduce it.’ ”

      BS! These gun buy-backs are publicity stunts by police departments to promote themselves, their power structure and their agendas.

      From the following post at Techdirt: “people will often seek to preserve a problem or a falsehood, rather than recognize that it doesn’t need to be that way.”

      Institutions Will Seek To Preserve The Problem For Which They Are The Solution
      https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100404/2112388868.shtml

      If “gun violence is everywhere,” then you can justify more $$$ and a more militarized police force with more big-boy toys. Of course, “gun violence” isn’t “everywhere,” but rather has decreased dramatically since 1993.

      Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware
      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/05/07/gun-homicide-rate-down-49-since-1993-peak-public-unaware/

  3. Kind of like cheering on a stupid kid who thinks he’ll clear the beach of sand with a pail and shovel.
    It’s pointless, futile and may even be harmful but so what? Let’s cheer and clap and tell him how proud we are of his pointless waste of time.

    • They haven’t gone far enough to “rein in violence:”

      As a start, there should be buy-backs for:

      * knives and cutting instruments
      * blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)
      * personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)
      * matches
      * poisons
      * rope and other strangulation weapons
      * pillows and other suffocation weapons

  4. Aside from the criminal exploit, I see nothing wrong with gun buybacks. Most of the firearms turned in are junk anyways, it becomes a responsible disposal mechanism. I especially like how GSL uses them to buy ammo to train new shooters…. 😉

  5. Winston-Salem buyback was in April 2014.

    Threads on this topic always deserve a link to the article that details how a pro-2A group turned in 60 broken and rusty guns for $6000 and then bought ammo for kids training.

    http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-02/news/ct-met-gun-buyback-backfire-0702-20120702_1_pro-gun-group-bb-gun-safety-and-marksmanship

    Money shot…..

    “We just took advantage of Chicago’s induced, artificial market on rusty junk,” said John Boch, the group’s president.

  6. worthwhile
    attempt
    potential
    limited
    small
    awareness
    trying
    can’t quantify
    crooks could be gun-shy.
    Despite
    reservations
    community support

    Okay everyone, take out your “liberal anti-gun Buzzword Bingo cards”, I am certain someone has winner.

  7. Every single one of these gun buy backs seems to have the same picture of the same guns. They’re all old rusting break action shot guns. No NRA built highpowerd assault machine guns with 30 clips and 30 magazines loaded with laser guided armor percing bullets.

  8. He says he can’t quantify their success. a well-administered program with community support can have a positive effect. Doublespeak from the Ministry of Truth.

  9. I’d like to see someone chew a sandwich into the shape of a gun and then try to turn it in for money.

  10. I always loved the term ” Gun Buy Back”, so the state lets you buy the firearm from the government on loan to you and you never really own the gun, just the right to use the gun for a temporary time period. It seems we have somewhat of a Microsoft agreement with your gun. The ” Gun Buy Back” connotes that since you really had the gun on loan from the state ( with the state granting you the privilege of leasing it), that the state has the option to buy back and terminate your lease on something the state owned originally and all along had the rights to as well..

  11. “So even though the police will check guns to see if they were used in a crime, the weapons can’t be tied to, uh, anyone.”

    Uh, unless someone leaves their prints (or sweat / DNA) all over it . . .

  12. A friend and I went to this Winston-Salem gun buyback hoping to find a deal on some unwanted firearms. We showed up 10 minutes before the publicized start of the event. As soon as we rolled into the street where the church is located that the event is being held at there was a police checkpoint. They weren’t letting anyone get out of their vehicles for any reason. They said that they were already out of funds for the buyback but they were still taking gun donations. The officer and his supervisor told us that if we attempted to purchase a firearm from anyone there we would be arrested unless we had a license to solicit, which has to be obtained downtown. We were told that it didn’t matter that we had concealed handgun permits either – no license to solicit = arrest. The entire neighborhood was crawling with officers. Questionable legality or not, we went home, as neither of us can afford the front-loaded financial cost of posting bail & hiring a lawyer for a situation such as this not being a life or death thing.

  13. got to keep old double barreled lead only duck guns, single shot 410s and mosin nagants off the streets. gang members love the bayonett on those mosins and love the acuracy of the 410 round

  14. As a former resident of Cumberland County in the Fayetteville,NC area for 14 years, this article made me want throw something! I don’t know which was worse, the article, or the buy back program.

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