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.
How do you Judge Success in Buyback
The EmpireStateNews this week offered a post titled, “Successful gun buyback in Brooklyn” and noted that “more than 180 guns were taken off the streets.”
Handguns were exchanged for $200 bankcard, while rifles and shotguns were exchanged for a mere $20 bankcard! All the guns will reportedly be destroyed.
So is it successful buyback if owners of guns are given a fraction of potential value? Is it a successful buyback if 180 guns are collected, yet there is no proof these were actually “on the streets?” And is it successful if some guns of historic or collector value will be destroyed?
Charlotte Observer: “Gifts for guns ‘about making a wrong right’”
We know that there is always going to be a spin when it comes to stories about gun buybacks, but The Charlotte Observer went a little far with the headline “Gifts for guns ‘about making a wrong right’.”
There is nothing right about this fact:
…each person who turned over a gun received a $25 gift card to Walmart or for gas.
Given that the hard times many people are facing, selling a gun for a mere $25 is shameful. Likely many of those firearms would have fetched far more from a gun dealer!
Detroit PD “paying out hundreds of dollars”
The Detroit Free Press jumped on the feel good – yet probably does little good – band wagon, noting “The Detroit Police Department is paying out hundreds of dollars today and next week as part of a gun buy-back program that took 744 weapons off the streets.”
There is a tense issue with that sentence we’d like to point out, how can the event be ongoing “is paying” and continues “today and next week” and yet “took.” If it is ongoing it should have “taken 744 so far,” but that’s the least of the problem with this reporting.
As with many it implies these do “take weapons off the street,” which there is no proof. Crime in the city is high and we just wonder whether these events make any difference?
Tampa Gun Buyback Takes “1000 guns off the streets”
Yet another holiday timed supposedly “feel good” story was reported this weekend, as the Tampa Police collected 1,000 guns, while the media of course used those infamous words “off the streets.” The St. Petersburg Times quoted Tampa’s Mayor Bob Buckhorn as playing along:
“Every gun we get off the streets is one less potential fatality.”
There is no proof this is true, and it is ironic that the media pays so much attention to these and barely notes Fast and Furious, which truly could result in fatalities on both side of the border.
Hartford Gun Buy Back “Takes Guns (including collector’s items) Off the Street”
Among several gun buybacks held this past weekend, the reporting on the one in Hartford, Conn. caught our attention. The CT Mirror reported:
The New Haven haul included 34 handguns, 26 long guns (including three sawed off shotguns), two fully automatic assault rifles and one Uzi. Police gave out gun locks free of charge to anyone turning in a weapon, and individuals were asked to fill out a questionnaire explaining the history of the gun and their motivations for bringing it in. All participants agreed to complete the survey.
“A number of elderly people came in,” said Pina Violana, injury prevention coordinator for Yale-New Haven Hospital. She helped coordinate the event. “They said they just wanted the guns out of their house — they had grandkids and worried for their safety but didn’t know how to get rid of them,” she said.
Some of the guns could have been considered collector’s items.
We are scratching our head s on this one. We aren’t sure if this is a mistake in the reporting, but if someone handed in two fully automatic assault rifles, would they really fill out the questionnaire?
But we make special note of the final line above, “some of the guns could have been considered collector’s items.” Despite that fact it is likely those firearms will still be destroyed, reportedly crushed and melted down. What a sad fate for “collector’s items.”
Gun Buyback in Maryland for “Unwanted” Guns
This past weekend the Sykesville Police Department reportedly “collected 13 firearms and about 35pounds of ammunition” according to the Carroll County Times. The article noted:
The program was meant to give people the opportunity to get rid of old or unwanted firearms and ammunition to ensure their homes are safe, especially for young children.
This is typical anti-gun reporting, and once again fails to note that many of the items “handed” in could have been sold to a dealer, collector or another interested party for real money. And it is shameful that the passage “to ensure their homes are safe, especially for young children,” is noted. When properly stored a gun should pose little harm to a child. Additionally, in high crime areas isn’t it fair to note that a house could be less safe without a gun for the owners to use for protection?
SC Now.com Notes: Skeptics take aim at Horry County gun buyback programs
Usually the media sees nothing wrong with gun buybacks. However, this week following a Myrtle Beach buyback SC Now.com offered some surprising insight. The news story actually included commentary that suggested the buybacks don’t work. The story noted:
“Myrtle Beach police said there are fewer on the streets after Saturday’s “Gun Buyback” program. The event capped “Stop the Violence” week and police call the buyback a success. However, researchers said gun buyback programs, like the one held in Myrtle Beach, are not effective crime prevention tools. According to the National Research Council, there’s no evidence the buybacks reduce gun violence. Researchers said the guns usually surrendered are those that are least likely to be used in crimes.”
That’s a key that many buyback organizers should consider, “guns usually surrendered are those that are least likely to be used in crimes.” This is because they are guns in closets, under the bed or just collecting dust. In most cases the owners could get more by selling to a gun dealer or collector rather than going to a buyback.
“Over 100 guns collected in Myrtle Beach buy-back effort”
Several outlets, including The Herald Online are noting that Myrtle Beach had a guy buyback this weekend, and most claims are it was successful. This is usually the case for these type of events, often based on little evidence that these ever get guns off the street.
But what makes this one stand out is that it includes two facts and seemingly ties them together:
First, it offers a thought from organizer Rev. Tim McCray:
“McCray said the inspiration for the gun buy-back was the success other communities across the country have had with similar initiatives.”
The next sentence then reads:
“An FBI report released this month showed the number of violent crimes across the U.S. in 2010 dropped 6 percent from the 2009 estimate.”
To the reader this would imply that gun buybacks are responsible for the drop in crime, yet this fact has never been actually attributed to gun buybacks. The reader of course might never be the wiser.
Opposing Views asks: “Do Gun Buyback Programs Work?”
This week Opposing Views asked the question, “Do Gun Buyback Programs Work?” And they offered this quote from Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan:
“We asked nobody where they obtain it from. We asked nobody’s name.”
This has long been an issue, one issue at least that we have with gun buybacks. Wouldn’t some criminals actually steal guns so they could sell them? We also take issue with the fact that gun buybacks pay very little for guns, especially those of a collectible nature.
Opposing Views then offered this thought from writer Alex Tabarrok, whose op-ed piece sums up another problem:
“Gun buybacks won’t reduce the number of guns in Oakland. In fact, buybacks may increase the number of guns in Oakland. Imagine that gun dealers offered a guarantee with every gun: Whenever this gun gets old and wears down, the dealer will buy back the gun for $250.The dealer’s guarantee makes guns more valuable, so people will buy more guns. But the story is exactly the same when it’s the police offering the guarantee. If buyers know that they can sell their old guns in a buyback, they are more likely to buy new guns. Thus the more common that gun buybacks become, the more likely they are to misfire.”
Another issue we see along the same lines is that you could use a gun in a crime, go to a buyback and get rid of the evidence, and get paid to get rid of the evidence! Thus sell your old crime gun and buy new one!
So maybe gun buybacks do work but not in the way intended unfortunately.
