Daily Times Claims 200 Guns Off the Streets
We’ve asked the question before, but once again we’ll ask whether it is really fair for the media to report that “guns were removed from the streets” as part of a police buyback? The Daily Times of Delaware County, Penn., reported “Chester gets 290 guns off streets in exchange.” But how does anyone know if any of these guns were ever actually “on the streets?” Read more
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? Read more
Austin Does Gun Buyback
Texas is one of the last places we’d expect to see a gun buyback, and according to The Dallas Morning News, this isn’t entirely about the misguided notion of “getting guns off the streets.” The paper notes that Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo is to reduce gun violence, but is also to aid families that don’t know what to do with a gun, quoting him as saying:
“This is not about trying to diminish someone’s Second Amendment right, and it’s not about us telling people they shouldn’t own a gun. This program is for people who are too old to operate a gun or for people who no longer wish to have a gun in their home.”
Well, this is upsetting, because the paper added that most guns would end up being destroyed. We must question whether valuable items will be practically given away for a $100 gift card, and we further ponder how much history could also be destroyed – especially in Texas, where guns helped tame the once savage land.
KABC Offers Biased Take on L.A. Gun Buyback
Not only did KABC report about the gun buyback in Los Angeles with the usual anti-gun bias, but the reporter offered an interesting opinion. While noting that “hundreds of guns” were handed in, and further noting “city leaders are calling it a big success,” KABC also added that this was the most “successful gun buyback program in any city in the entire country.” But wait, it gets better (or worse):
“…there are a number of dangerous weapons that are off the streets.
“It looked like a yard sale for violent criminals with more than 2,500 fired arms [sic] on display for L.A.’s gun buyback program.”
We can only wonder how KABC would describe a gun show? There is also some questionable logic in this story. It ends with this statement:
“…there are 300 million guns throughout the United States, overshadowing the 2,500 weapons retrieved through this program. However, every weapon counts because statistics show that the crime rate in Los Angeles is down.”
If crime is already down, then why would these weapons count at all? If crime were up previously, but fell after the buyback than it could be seen that the buyback was a success but if crime is already down, then does this matter at all? Doesn’t this just prove that guns aren’t the problem?
Buyback in Arizona Nets 80 Guns
Azfamily.com drank the Kool-Aid this weekend, and reported:
“Phoenix police took dozens of weapons off the street with a gun buy-back event Saturday.”
Again, we have to ask why anyone believes, and why the mainstream media continues to report that gun buyback events actually “take guns off the street.” There is no evidence of criminals actually handing in their guns. And unlike other buybacks, this one was clearly an anti-gun rally as well. The site further noted:
“Youth leaders, safety advocates and police spoke out against gun violence.”
Who were these leaders and advocates? The news site didn’t mention, but we have to wonder if the real motivation here wasn’t really about gun control rather than crime reduction. While liberals may think they go hand in hand, recent statistics have suggested otherwise.
Lancaster Buyback Buys Back 43 Guns, Will It have Any Impact?
Spinning the news is where you make something sound better (or worse) than it should appear to be, and The Lancaster Herald certainly did this with the headline and deck: “43 guns off Lancaster streets; Minister thinks buying back weapons will have impact on the community.” Of course we disagree, but this is just how the news is spun to make these silly events seem important. The paper further reported:
“Officials in Lancaster took more than 40 weapons off the streets, most of which were working guns, in a gun buy-back program over the weekend.
“The Rev. Otis Lathan of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church was called to action by recent shootings and deaths in Lancaster County. Lathan paired with the Lancaster Police Department and the Lancaster Alternative Policing Strategy to organize Saturday’s buy-back.”
We’ll ask first whether there is any proof any of these weapons were on the street? In this particular case – a rarity we’ll add – the paper did mention that one seller claims to have found a gun in a ditch, so finally a gun that was truly near the streets if not on the streets entirely. But how many of the other 42 guns were merely in a closet, or basement or doing no harm to anyone?
Second, we’ll ask whether any of these “working guns” were worth more than the $50 paid out? We’d guess probably most. And we’ll ask whether any of these guns might have been potentially historically significant as well?
But the issue is that this is just another case of spin. With all due respect to Rev. Lathan, he can’t really know for sure if this will have any impact. And we’d like to mention that this event took time, money and resources. Wouldn’t a day of police patrols and solving crime, cracking down on corners where gangs hang out possibly have had as much of an impact on the community?
Lancaster Police to Buyback Guns, Paying $10 for Non-working Guns
What is an antique gun worth? Maybe not even enough to buy lunch and pay for gas, but Rock Hill Herald in South Carolina is reporting that Pleasant Grove Baptist Church pastor Otis Lathan along with the Lancaster Police Department and Lancaster Alternative Police Strategy office are organizing today’s buyback of firearms. The payout is ridiculous, which according to the paper says:
“The groups solicited donations to provide $50 gift cards for each operable gun turned in. Those who turn in a non-working gun or other type of weapons will receive a $10 gift card.”
This is another attempt to “get guns off the streets,” but what criminal will turn in a gun for $50. Antique firearms, which may not technically work – such as those with black powder and can’t easily be tested – could net $10. Check out an episode of Antiques Roadshow or Pawn Stars. Such guns could be worth 100 times as much. This is shameful. Let’s hope history isn’t lost for enough for a burger and a small soda.
Trade Your Gun for Walmart Gift Card
FoxNews.com is reporting that a group of ministers in South Carolina will be offering gift cards in exchange for any gun turned in. While we hate to see these happen, there is a twist:
“Participants are asked to put the weapons in their trunks and Colleton County deputies will collect them. The officers will make sure the guns still work and determine the value of the weapon. The owner will be given a gift card in that amount.”
So the guns need to work? If the intent is to get guns off the street, we ask why needing to work is the issue? Also, we would question the issue of “value,” as in will it be fair value? But at least in these cases it is possible that those handing in their guns will get more than $25. At least we can hope.
Are Gun Buybacks Just About “Illegal Guns?”
New York Newsday seems to suggest that a Suffolk Sheriff’s Office upcoming “Gun Buyback Program” is about “illegal guns.” That seems like either like a stretch, or is just more biased reporting. While the message is typically about “getting guns off the street” this one implies that buybacks are about illegal guns – which in turn seems to imply that all guns are illegal:
“Hand over an illegal gun, get a $50 Visa gift card.”
After all, if you legally own a gun, are you not able to take part in the Suffolk buyback? So while the intent maybe about taking guns off the street, the message is guns should be illegal. At least that’s how we read this one.
Guns for Groceries
Things have actually gotten so bad that some residents in the San Diego area would trade guns for groceries. The concern we have in these cases remains that history could be lost. As collectors, we see that these are items that can’t easily be replaced. But in nearly all these cases it is – at least according to the media and the police anyway – about getting “guns off the streets.” So it is nice to see that SignOn San Diego reported this interesting turn of events:
“Not everyone was so enthusiastic. About a half-dozen men who said they are advocates of ‘open carry’, the practice of openly and legally wear an unloaded gun, stood at the corner of Market Street. They held signs and handed out fliers that told participants in the exchange they may be getting a bad deal, but none of the men were armed.”
It would be great if other law abiding citizens also let those handing in guns know that these items are worth more than a few bucks or a bag of groceries!
