“In a state where there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of firearms in the hands of private citizens, is it reasonable to expect that taking several thousand off the streets will have an impact on gun crime?” It’s an excellent question, asked by Chris Mondics of philly.com. To which the correct answer is no. In fact, the more you think about “gun buybacks” the more emphatic the answer becomes. And if you weren’t convinced that these feel-good programs are a complete waste of time and taxes before reading this article, and you are capable of performing something roughly akin to rational thought, you’ll see the idea’s monumental stupidity afterwards. If you’re pushed for time, here’s the money shot . . .
Micah Khan, a Camden community activist, helped with the Camden [NJ] gun buyback in December. Khan said most of the 1,037 guns dropped off at two community churches that hosted the event came from outside the city and likely were not crime weapons to begin with.
“I am a believer in the idea that every gun you get off the streets is a good thing,” Khan said. “But if you talk about effectiveness, there is no data to show that.”
Hardened street criminals say they need their weapons for protection, Khan said. “When I talk to guys on the corner, they tell me I would rather be caught with it than without it,” he said.
And there you have it: no data to support any link between the government buying broken ass guns and a reduction in “gun violence.” And every reason to think that anyone who believes that there is a connection between gun buybacks and crime reduction is willfully ignorant.
Nah, let’s be charitable and use the word “delusional.” The only alternative would be “lying through their teeth” or “exploiting taxpayer’s good will for their own political ends.” For example . . .
State Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who has overseen New Jersey’s recent round of gun buybacks, said reducing the number of weapons in circulation, illegal or not, enhanced public safety.
“We are always focused on getting illegal weapons out of circulation, and the buyback program has been incredibly successful in doing so – removing over 1,000 illegal guns from New Jersey’s streets,” he said. “However, that is not the only goal. We are also interested in taking unwanted guns out of circulation because any gun, whether legal or illegal, can be stolen and used to commit a crime or be accidentally and tragically discharged.”
Added Chiesa: “The efficacy of our program is proven by our results. How many criminal investigations would it take to net 1,000 illegal weapons?”
Question: if all these gun buybacks are “no questions asked,” how does the NJ AG know any particular gun is illegal? Because it’s New Jersey! Where all guns (and thus gun owners) are guilty until proven innocent. D’uh!
But seriously folks, gun buybacks blow. Always have. Always will. And yes, they are worse than doing nothing, in terms of manpower, money and diverted attention. Oh, the last one? That’s the real point.
Those poor innocent children, just sitting there, no parents to love them, no hands to hold them…
Brings a tear to my eye…
looks like a harrington and richardson top break there in the front. Those things are a bigger danger to the person shooting it than anything else.
A segment of society believes that only gov’t agents should have and use firearms. Unfortunately a good chunk of that segment are career elected officials. We will never convince them that removing any gun from the hands of civilians is “worse than doing nothing, in terms of manpower, money and diverted attention.” A truly sad state of affairs. The fight goes on.
Looks like someone raided a prohibition era museum
Good Morning Children!! Can you say”Junk Ass Stuff on the table”?? I bet you can!! How about ” Stupid Morons”!! Good children. That is your lesson for the day in Ignorance in Politics 101!! Have a nice gunny day!!
Funny when they say they are “taking guns off the street” and often you’ll see bolt action rifles and junk handguns that probably don’t even function. Of the “rocket launchers” which are non functioning empty tube paperweights.
They break their hands patting themselves on the back for something that is completely meaningless and a waste of money.
They need to get off of this guns on the “street” BS. We have our guns at home not on the streets. They are locked up in a safe.
I saw that in Portland someone set up a table outside the buy-back station and offered to buy at a better rate certain guns destined for destruction. Annoyed the grabbers no end, but apparently it was legal.
Of course the majority of these guns were junk, but I am just a little concerned that people who have inherited a gun may not know its historical value and turn it in to these fools for $50. And I’m pretty sure that nobody in the government buy-back business has any interest in historical guns and could care less if they melt down Billy the Kid’s colt .45 that would be worth more at auction than the taxpayer cash they just paid out for thousands of rusty old junk.
Thought about doing that at a recent event here in CA, but (a) my wife would probably kill me if it showed up on the news, (b) it almost certainly would make the news, and (c\) with CA laws requiring an FFL for person-to-person transfers there’s little chance I could have persuaded anyone to forego the easy gun buyback cash for the hassle of a private sale. Bummer.
I like finding broken pieces of s##t at garage sales that you can pick up for a dollar or two then wait for these buy back programs. Usually it’s for a grocery gift card. I liken them to getting a tax refund….
Speaking of Tax Refunds, don’t you legally have to claim the money you make from these buyback programs, whether by cash or gift card, as income?
You don’t feel you’re taxed enough?
buy buck implies previous ownership. is that how the gov’mt thinks that they own the guns and just let us have them for awhile?
The governments way of trying to tempt thugs into doing the gun grabbing for them. I wonder how many we’re stolen weapons?
By their logic, any car, knife, hammer, baseball bat etc., legal or not, should be taken off the street as well, since it COULD be used to commit a crime. And who says there’s no smart people working for the government?
You can’t call it a buy back if you never owned it!
Phoenix is supposed to have a buyback sometime in the near future. I can’t wait because I have an ancient .22 that barely works ready to be turned in for way more than it’s worth.
Perhaps they should start a new program where private citizens can volunteer to foster street guns, with the option of adopting.
$900,000 isn’t a lot of money when it’s someone else’s. I’m sure that Gov. Fatso spent more than $900K reinforcing the chairs at the Governor’s mansion.
That looks like an ’03 Colt in the bottom left corner. If so, I’m going to cry.
The general lines and the safety seem correct for an ’03 Colt.
if it makes you feel better, i theorize it’s one of those Spanish Ruby pistols (or whatever other name they were made under). vaguely similar look and old (and cheap) enough to show up in that kind of setting.
Math was never my strong suit but all said and done it seems to me $900,000 for 1,000 guns works out to $900 per gun.
With that kind of ROI buying three brand new Hi-Points for $250 each to turn in would net you a $1,950 profit.
Even if they paid a generous $300 per gun that still leaves $600 per gun that went somewhere. $300,000 would be paid for guns so am I to assume it cost $600,000 to rent a few tables and pay a few cops to show up?
Gun buy backs are extremely effective…at getting old, crappy, and/or broken guns off the streets. Notice how they make no mention of how many guns turned in are .22lr target pistols or rifles, or single shot shotguns. They also make no mention of the average age of the gun, or how many are functional.
If this is a “no-questions asked” buyback, can I turn in an air-rifle? Or a zip gun? If zip guns are allowed then one could conceivably manufacture a bunch then sell them back to the state for a profit.
We all need to start a bank fund with donations from gun owners ad every time a buy back is announced 2 or 3 of the people closest to it take the money, get gift cards, and buy all the good weapons up before they are turned into the PO PO! (No disrespect to the good police officers on here)!! Every quarter we all get together online and bid on any particular firearms we might want. Monies gathered from the auction go back into account for next buy back with 10% going to the pro 2A group of the quarter for their support. Win -Win for us all and no more homeless firearms!!!
This was just another of the ‘overtime’ hours clocked by our “heroic public servants”.
These pathetic wankers don’t get to retire on $200K+ per year for nothing…
Why do you care what other people do with their guns? I don’t, should you. You do not want any form of Government involved with what you do with your firearms. So, why should you care what others do? Do not be a hypocrite. This is no worse than the head of the NRA making $975,000 a year.
Perhaps I’m in an inflammatory mood. . . but I have a dramatic bent, and appreciate satire; Wouldn’t it be fun to show up to one of these buy backs, in tactical dress, sporting an assault vest, duty sized high end auto in drop holster, tacti-cool AR-15 slung. . . and turn in some broken, worthless guns with the caveat that the money will be spent for more toys to add to the black rifle?
Personally I wouldn’t, but it might make for interesting theater on the news, and perhaps show these buy backs for the ignorance they are.
Can you buy the guns from the people as they wait on line? Is it legal?
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