Would one of the gun-rights fanatics mind reminding me again why this is a bad thing?A total of 509 guns were surrendered at a Queens church on Saturday as part of an effort to clean up street violence in the borough, the NYPD said.Among the firearms collected in the six-hour buyback event at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jamaica was an AK 47, a TEC-9; and a Calico 9mm with a 50 round magazin, cops said.Amid a wave of gun violence that plagued the city streets this summer, the NYPD, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and State Sen. Malcolm Smith hosted a gun buyback initiative. People turning in working handguns, rifles or shotguns received $200 bank cards.
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Once again, mostly junk out of people's closets and not real crime guns. No gangbangers lining up to turn in their Glocks. And they only paid $200 for handguns--even those that only sell for $150 brand new. For rifles and shotguns they only paid $20.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it bad? Those guns typically get destroyed. I read a story about one old woman turning in her recently deceased husband's Schofield, a valuable antique. Those guns should be sold to good citizens or sent to museums.
ReplyDeleteBut you've heard about the event recently run in Illinois? A group brought in a bunch of rusted junk, got paid cash, and used that money to take children to a summer camp to learn about shooting. That's a good way to turn something stupid into something productive.
I heard a story about the crack-addict's grandmother who turned in his gun. That very night he was gonna use it but instead he just stayed home and began to detox. The next day he went into treatment and today he's an upstanding member of society.
DeleteI heard a story about grandmother who turned in a gun. That very night she was murdered in her home with nothing to defend herself with. To this day the case is still unsolved.
DeleteIt's not bad. As far as I'm concerned, people can do with their property whatever they like, including selling them to a church or destroying them. None of my business.
ReplyDeleteAnd since we're talking about NYC, likely all of those guns were owned illegally in the first place.
That's exactly right. That's why this is a good thing.
DeleteSimply collecting and destroying firearms is not in itself a good (or bad) thing.
DeleteBaldr over at New Trajectory recently posted that the Portland gun buyback was "a success" simply because people participated, claiming that turning in the guns was "making homes and streets safer in the process."
If the goal and purpose of the gun buybacks is to prevent shootings, then the buybacks can only be "successful" if they actually prevent shootings. Is there any evidence that gun crimes or accidental shootings are reduced in the area immediately following these buybacks?
That's a good point Guav. These buybacks have been going on long enough that there should be some sort of evidence that they are "successful". Looking at Chicago I certainly can't find any.
DeleteIn good states, we can stand outside and offer cash for guns ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me is that if there happen to be any bodies on those guns, we'll never know since they'll all be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteBut since the people turning them in are anonymous, no questions asked, what use would knowing if there was a body on a particular gun be? With no way to trace it to an owner, how would that help solve any crimes?
DeleteThat's the problem I have with it...A crime basically goes unsolved. If I were the criminal type it would be a great way to get rid of incriminating evidence.
DeleteYou miss one thing Jake, all serial numbers are recorded and checked before their destruction. A serial number will only take it back to the original purchaser or legally transfered owner. If the gun was stolen from you and used in a crime, it would come back to you. If you bought it and you used it in a crime, it would come back to you. So unless they had a reason to ballistic check a firearm against a crime, there would be no evidence anyway. And they may do just that before the gun is destroyed anyway. Any person turning in a gun with the serial number modified or ground off would be subject to possesion of a illegal weapon, a felony and anonymous or not, will be arrested and questioned.
DeleteI have turned in several weapons over the years for either becoming non functional, worn out or unsafe. They get turned in to the state, or rather transfered to the state for their destruction, not resale. I go thru more background checks than you would belive doing so even with proof of purchase. But its the only way I am comfortable with the disposal of them and no complete gun or its parts going to the wrong hands.