New York Gun Buyback Makes for Good Headlines But Bad Information
The New York Post is responsible, but other media outlets picked up on the story, as the New York City Borough of the Bronx held a gun buyback. One of the firearms exchanged was an Uzi.
“An example of Tony Montana’s weapon of choice was taken off the streets yesterday when the owner of an Uzi machine gun exchanged it for $200 at a Bronx gun buyback, a source said.”
New York blog Gothamist also picked up on the story, also noting the “Tony Montana” connection. However, Tony Montana from the movie Scarface didn’t have an Uzi. He carried an M-16 with a grenade launcher. Very big difference, but why would credibility or accuracy matter when you can write a catchy story instead?
What also wasn’t noted was whether the Uzi was in fact a “machine gun” as in fully automatic or merely a commercial semi-automatic version. The Uzi is a gun that is legal to own in semi-automatic. We notice that this point is missing in much of the reporting.
NY Daily News Thinks Buybacks Could Solve Chicago’s Crime
In responding to the SCOTUS ruling, Errol Louis of The New York Daily News offered an editorial that looked at both sides of the issue. Louis also looks at the roots of Chicago’s crime problem, noting that the city’s efforts to break up the major drug-gangs have left a free-for-all scenario in its place. This is seldom understood by the media, and hardly reported.
However, Louis believes that churches can help solve the problem, in part by offering gun buybacks:
“New York has seen churches play a key role in anti-violence initiatives. An NYPD/district attorney gun buyback program at four Bronx churches this year netted 1,200 weapons in a single weekend, and a group of Brooklyn churches this month will serve as sanctuaries for people with outstanding arrest warrants who want to surrender peacefully.”
While we don’t see any problems with church groups providing moral and even spiritual support to these communities, the idea that gun buybacks will do anything is nonsense. There is little proof that any of those 1,200 weapons netted in New York City were ever on the streets. This part of the argument is just wrong, and it is a shame because many of Louis’s other arguments were really that far off base.
Gothamist.com Says “Everyone Loves Bronx” Gun Buyback
Who exactly is everyone? According to Gothamist.com “Everyone Loves Bronx Cash4Guns Program,” and the article even has this introduction:
“According to everyone involved, yesterday’s gun buyback in the Bronx was a marvelous success.”
Sure, the police love it, because it takes NYC one closer to a police state. The churches that held the event love it, because they can claim to make a difference whether they really do or not. But everyone surely doesn’t love it. As a New York resident I loathe these buybacks, in part because I know real criminals aren’t handing in their firearms.
WPIX Says Gun Buyback a Win-Win, We Say it is a Lose-Lose
In New York City WPIX reported that four Bronx churches held the second annual gun buyback program to “get illegal handguns and other weapons off the streets.” But is this really a win-win? People were paid about $200 for each “eligible weapon” – whatever that might be – but were limited to three guns or $600.
And do we really think any criminals, drug dealers, gang members or thugs handed in anything? So were any guns actually taken off the streets? And how many potential value and historically important firearms will be turned over to the police? We say this was a lose-lose-lose. A loss for anyone thinking the streets in the Bronx are safer, a loss for anyone who sold a firearm for a mere $200, and a loss of history.
