NJ Buyback Gets “Gun Off Streets”
This week NorthJersey.com noted a “successful” gun buyback. It reported:
The Passaic County Sheriff’s Office spent more than $20,000 buying back 282 guns from residents in Paterson in an effort to rid the city’s most dangerous streets of firearms, officials said Tuesday.
First, is there any evidence these guns were the “city’s most dangerous” – more likely these were in closets and under beds. But wouldn’t $20,000 have been better spent on paying for tips and programs to help the community instead?
“Rocket Launcher” at Gun Buyback
Much ado about nothing is our thought when we saw the outrageous LA Times headline: “L.A. gun buyback yields rocket launcher, assault weapons.” As expected this was borderline yellow journalism, as noted in the introduction:
A $2,000 pair of pocket pistols and a military rocket launcher — sans rocket — were among the 1,673 firearms that Los Angeles residents traded in for gift cards in the city’s gun buyback this weekend.
So a “military rocket launcher – sans rocket” is worthy of a headline? There is nothing illegal about owning a deactivated rocket launcher and there are collectors of these things, but the headline almost implies that this was something ominous.
We’re also curious if those $2,000 pocket pistols will be scrapped with the other 1,671 firearms?
LA Gun Buyback
This week LAist.com reported on this past weekend’s gun buyback, and offered a gallery. From some of the photos it seems that what was “bought” was a lot of parts and junk. The story noted:
More than 600 weapons were turned in during the first hour Los Angeles’ fourth gun buyback program. The program allows owners to trade their weapons in for a gift card for groceries without having to answer any questions. Police check the guns to see if they were reported stolen, and if not they’re melted down. So far over 6,200 weapons have been bought back by the city’s program.
This is a sad tale too… how many potentially valuable or even historically significant firearms have been melted down?
LA Times Story Notes What We’ve Been Saying for Years
One of our biggest pet peeves about gun buybacks is that it is an easy way for a criminal to turn in a gun used in a crime and basically have the evidence destroyed. The media usually ignores this aspect of the story, but this past weekend it was actually noted in a Los Angeles Times story:
“This program has a real function of criminals getting a get-out-of-jail-free card,” said Boyer, president of San Fernando-based Lone Star Security.
“It’s immunity. If even five guns were used in a murder, and five murderers don’t go to prison because the city runs this shenanigan stunt, that’s five too many.”
Finally, the media notes what we’ve been saying for years.
More Cheerleader Style Reporting Over Buyback
This past weekend, Live5 News couldn’t rave enough about the “North Charleston gun buyback a great success,” which noted:
The North Charleston Police Department says they’ve collected 135 weapons off the streets Saturday during their annual buyback program in North Charleston.
As with ALL buybacks there is absolutely no proof that any of these 135 firearms – note the editors used the word “weapons” instead – were ever actually on the streets. The story also closed with this fact:
All weapons collected will be processed by the police department before they are destroyed.
Again, we see this as another potential tragedy that could see the destruction of historical items of great value!
WMBF Reports on Weekend Gun Buyback
Over the weekend WMBF reported on a gun buyback program and it was filled with the usual misleading, feel good nonsense. It noted:
One-hundred and thirty-four guns were collected during the three-hour Gun Buy Back Initiative Saturday.
It was the first time Conway held a program like this. Police say they are hopeful the program will bring crime rates down by taking unneeded and unwanted guns off the street.
Yet again the story takes the police at their word, but doesn’t note that it likely really didn’t take guns off the street. But maybe people want to believe they’re doing good.
Horry County Looks to Buy Back
This weekend MyrtleBeach Online reported “Conway, Horry County authorities plan gun buyback.” This is one of those events that is business as usual, and something we feel never really gives owners a fair amount. But this one is notable as the story offered this passage:
Police are offering a $50 gift card for turning in long guns or shotguns, a $100 gift card for handguns and a $200 gift card for assault rifles, according to officials. All weapons must be operational and no antiques will be accepted.
First, we’re not sure how the “operational” part can be fully determined, but we’re actually glad to see that “antique” firearms (we assume it is antique firearms) won’t be accepted. Perhaps in this case the owners can actually get a fair value for their guns.
NY Daily News: NY state of mind: Gun amnesty for criminals, felony charges for unwitting Marine
When the media that normally rallies against guns sees that New York City is wrong in how it is handling the Ryan Jerome case, you know the city is truly in the wrong.
This week the New York Daily News this week noted:
New York City offers cash for illegal, unregistered guns. Anyone can drop off such a weapon and walk away with a fistful of cash — and immunity from prosecution.
And added:
Approximately one month after Jerome was arrested, the DA’s office hosted a “Gun Buyback” day on October 22. “Individuals will receive $200 bank cards for turning in operable handguns and $20 bank cards for operable rifles and shotguns, no questions asked,” said a press release from Vance’s office.
We’ve long said New York has one law for the rich and famous and one law for everyone else – now it seems there is another law for those who aren’t criminals yet make a mistake, and sadly it is harsher than the punishment (or money) given to the real criminals.
Patch.com Piece Tries to Tie Gun Buybacks and Lower Crime Together
Much of the country has seen a decline in crime, while gun sales continue to soar. And yet this week Patch.com noted that Brooklyn held a gun buyback, in which “over 100 firearms were surrendered to the NYPD,” and noted that crime is down.
The article, titled, “Brooklyn Sees Lowest Murder Rate Since 1963” offered this passage:
The NYPD/Clergy Gun Buy-Back program, which has been running since 2008, has helped remove 7,600 weapons from the streets.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Brooklyn is now safer, and he has statistics to prove it.
We have to ask, does the gun buyback program have anything to do with it? Maybe a tiny small part, but couldn’t it be that many of the neighborhoods in Brooklyn have been transformed by gentrification also in no small part the reason for the drop in crime. There has been a renaissance in many parts of Brooklyn over the past decade.
It is just interesting that this aspect hasn’t been addressed.
NRA News: New Jersey: Camden Residents Turning in Guns for Groceries
Cam Edwards talks to Scott Bach from the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs
