Did Gun Buyback Mean to Collect Guns From Streets or Just Guns in General?

Another weekend, and yet one more gun buyback. This time the Charlotte Observer even offered a nice anti-gun spin that makes these events seem worthwhile:

“Organizers weren’t sure what to expect from the first gun buyback in the Grier Heights community. They would be happy, they said last week, if they recovered one gun from the streets of a neighborhood that’s seen its share of high-profile violence in the past few years. But just after 2 p.m. Saturday, community leaders stood in front of a stack of handguns and ammunition that had been exchanged for nearly $500 in gift cards.”

The question is whether the organizers should be happy?

Can they really say for certain that any of those recovered guns were ever in fact “from the streets?” Did the organziers even care if the guns were on the streets or in a closet? We think these organizers are just anti-gun, not anti-crime.  News 14 Carolina offered another spin on the story:

“Many of the guns collected were passed down from generations. While organizers don’t believe those that participated in the program are potentially violent offenders, they do say the program helps keep the firearms out of the wrong hands.”

So what we have here were guns that could be considered family heirlooms, and possibly collectible in nature and were “handed in” for a gift card valued between $25 and $50. That seems like a real shame to us, more so because as the story points out even the organizers felt those weren’t actually on the streets. But not that the organizers clearly believe these guns – and probably any gun – could end up in the wrong hands.

The question in that case, was these really about getting guns off the street then, or just about getting guns out of private hands? And why didn’t any of the reports about this event ask that question?