NRA News: Scott Bach from the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, on Newark Mayor Cory Booker
Cam Edwards talks to Scott Bach from the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs about an article entitled “Cory Booker says Newark shooting victims have high chance they’ve been arrested an average of 10 times”
NJ2AS: TOY Gun buyback programs
Every year, particularly around the holiday season, there are articles in the news about kids “trading in” their toy guns for a more “appropriate” toy or book. Sad faced children, usually little boys, carry their prized toy guns to their fate of being crushed by machines like the Bash-O-Matic, all for the exchange of a brightly wrapped book or stuffed animal. Last Christmas I really felt sorry for a nine year old boy named Malik from Providence, RI, whose mother made him bash all, save one, of his seven toy guns (“I mean he is a boy after all,” she said); especially since my four kids have a small arsenal of Nerf guns that we use regularly in the now infamous Spivack family wars.
Newark Arts & Entertainment Examiner: No one should play with guns
Christine Wans, Wharton Family Friendly Events Examiner wrote a piece on Newark, New Jerey’s toy gun buyback, and in a piece that looked at the issue, ended with this biased take on it.
She seems to ask a question, but then interjects with an opinion that makes it impossible for any reader to really give their own thought to the issue:
“Should more communities offer this family friendly event? A positive and hopeful message these children went home with healthy options to toy guns. No one should play with guns, especially children.”
We agree that guns are not toys, so the statement, “no one should play with guns, especially children” is apt, except that this is about “toy guns” not real guns. There is a major and significant distinction. Children shouldn’t drive cars, but they play with toy cars, and even drive battery powered toy cars.
Conflict resolution and “fighting monsters” or other evils is part of childhood, and by taking away toys – even toy guns – we are in essence controlling how children play. Isn’t play supposed to be about independent expression? Instead we are saying, “conflict is bad, so don’t do it.” We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Newark Holds TOY Gun Buyback
There is no denying that Newark has many problems, but Mayor Cory Booker apparently sees that one problem is children playing with toy guns. He was quoted by NJ.com:
“They’re getting books in their hands, positive toys.”
But the story also noted that “Booker acknowledged there is no evidence linking childhood gun play to violent behavior later.”
Fortunately this particular piece also included insight from Theodore Petti, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who “said children are more at risk of acting violently if they are bullied, abused, neglected, in gang or use drugs or alcohol.”
Petti was quoted saying:
“…sticks, pieces of Lego, anything can be considered a gun and is used as a gun.”
This is just another example of trying to solve a problem that isn’t there. Many children play “army” or “cops and robbers,” and yet don’t grow up to serve in the military or enter the police force, or even become a robber! It is just playtime, but some want to solve society’s problems by changing our society.
Even Newark’s Mayor Believes Gun Buybacks Don’t Get “Guns Off the Streets”
This week NewsroomJersey.com noted there was yet another buyback of firearms in the Garden State, but this one noted that among the guns actually turned in included automatic weapons. More impressive is that the media actually noted that these buybacks don’t really work:
”Cory Booker, Newark’s Mayor, said he was impressed and shocked by the program. Some people turned in AK-47s and automatic weapons this time around, according to the mayor, whereas gun buy backs don’t normally get the weapons off the streets that are crucial. Cory Booker, Newark’s Mayor, said he was impressed and shocked by the program. Some people turned in AK-47s and automatic weapons this time around, according to the mayor, whereas gun buy backs don’t normally get the weapons off the streets that are crucial.”
The question to ask now is that if the mayor doesn’t think these are getting weapons off the street, then what is the point of holding these events?
Gun Buyback Program Runs Out of Money
Here is some irony, in New Jersey residents are only allowed to buy one handgun a month, but yet the Emanuel Christian Church in Newark was able to run a “cash for guns” program, and essentially ran out of $50,000 reports NJ.com. First, we need to ask how can a law be trusted if there are exceptions like this made?
Why should the church leaders be allowed to buy back so many guns, especially when law-abiding citizens are not allowed to do so? And second, and more importantly, isn’t this just another feel good story that will make no real difference? Again, we feel that old people turned in guns in need of money, and likely made far less than if they were able to sell those guns to collectors, dealers or hunters. But of course law-abiding citizens could only buy one gun a month, so that made that fact a moot point. And finally, we’ll ask again (and never will stop asking), does anyone really believe that this is getting guns out of criminals’ hands and off the street?
Newark to Offer Gun Buyback Program, But Will it Get Guns Off the Street?
Newark is the latest city in the Garden State to introduce a buyback program, which will begin next month. Philly.com points out that the homicide rate has actually fallen in recent years, but has crept back up this year, prompting the program.
It will be interesting to see whether this program, which will give $200 for each firearm, will actually reduce crime. As we’ve questioned all year, do gun buybacks actually get guns out of criminal’s hands and off the street? Or does it just get poor people to turn over potentially value items? You be the judge.
WNYC Radio Has Nice Sound Bites, But Few Facts
By the way WNYC radio spun it, it sounds like NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is really just a mayor with a reasonable gun control policy. Here is a sample of what he said:
“BLOOMBERG: There’s federal law that says that criminals can’t have guns and we should enforce that law and get guns off the streets nothing wrong with the Second Amendment.”
