I’ve said it before, I’m sure I’ll say it many times again, Gun “Buy Backs” suck. The name is stupid, but I won’t make a huge deal about the name because people can call things whatever they want. If somebody wants to “Buy Back” my truck for a ridiculous sum above market value, I don’t care what they call it so long as the check clears (and it isn’t “Cash for Clunkers” why in the end I’ll be paying the difference with interest come tax day).
The big issue is #1. is this is money that could be used to do police work in gang areas, which would not only take guns out of criminal hands (which “Buy Backs” claim to do, but can’t actually put any proof in the pudding) but also getting criminals (the dangerous part of the criminals with guns combo) off the streets, and maybe into the gallows.
#2. What’s mentioned off-handed here.
“At some of these locations, we’ve had mothers and grandmothers turn in sawed-off shotguns and assault rifles,” Brown said. “We know they are not the owners of those weapons. We know they’re turning them in for family members who might use them in a moment of anger or in a crime.”
Ok so skip the smug political spin in that statement and think about the reality of what’s REALLY happening. Either Granny has cleaned out somebody’s gun safe so she can get away with grand theft and blow it on Keno. OR Granny is covering for Thugley the gang member who can’t sell the above guns because they aren’t marketable on the street (a pink Taurus probably doesn’t move well in the black market) or might tie somebody to a murder or other serious crime.
And with the “No Questions Asked” rules of the “Buy Back” these crimes are committed with the blessing of the Police.
Nice, huh?
Total crap, and it only HURTS society, but it makes smug anti-rights goons feel good.
h/t Curt
You forgot to mention completely non-functional firearms that can’t be sold, so one might as well get rid of them this way for a few bucks.
Yea, in general gun buybacks are complete bullshit that doesn’t stop any real crime, but it looks good on the nightly news when there’s a big barrel full of EVIL ASSAULT MOSIN NAGANTS waiting to go to the smelting pool.
And looking good is what gets politicians reelected.
See don’t say that shit! You KNOW I collect Mosin Nagants! Tho I guess some hacked and bubba’d ones, or those ugly hard-chromed ones I won’t be too sad about.
That being said how many bring-back Garands and M1903s et al got ruined to make manhole covers or for scrap metal. These are pieces of history!
Yea, here in Cali the local news media tends to show tables full of various non-tacticool rifles and pistols “bought back” with no questions asked. Most of them aren’t what you’d consider “assault weapons (god, I hate that term)” but since it’s a gun, they’re happy to get it off the street.
As for the loss to history many of these rifles represent, I’m fully in agreement there. Most of this is because the owner inherited something and just couldn’t be bothered to learn anything about it, and just looked for an easy way to get rid of it. Selling it through an FFL is a bit of a pain in the ass for people who have no interest in guns, (you have to find one to facilitate the transfer, fill out the forms and whatnot, ) so these NQA buybacks represent an easy way to get rid of a “problem.” There’s no telling how many awesome firearms have been melted down from these things. I’m betting at least 1 for every 10 Lorcin POS’s , myself.
My favorites are the gunnies who set up a few feet away from a buyback and offer to pay cold hard cash for the guns in good shape instead of the gift cards that are usually handed out.
Gun buybacks are crap, but even so, check this shit out. 😉 I have to admit, that was sheer brilliance.
Yeah I’ve seen that before in a few places. It makes me happy to see people turn what is stupid do-nothing public relations crap into gold…much like the people who took bailout money when eligible, or traded in their clunker for cash.
But then makes me sad as its essentially just a tax refund on a program that shouldn’t exist in the first place.