Looks like the first gun buy back event in King County in decades was a success except that more people wanted to turn in their guns than there were gift cards available. So they had to end early. Still the program got hundreds of guns — all unwanted — off the street.
Now, I don’t know how much is a feel good measure and how much it actually will stop gun crime. Those guns won’t be used in crimes, but the county is still awash in guns. And a voluntary program probably isn’t going to keep the guns out of the hands of the most paranoid or the most dangerous people, or the people who are planning to use a gun in a crime. Still, it’s better than nothing.
Maybe what’s most telling is the people trying to buy guns for more than the gift cards:
The gun buyers on surrounding streets underscore the case for Congress and the Washington Legislature to act get cracking on gun safety legislation, McGinn argued. “That’s one of the loopholes we need to close,” he said. “One person can sell another person a gun on the street and it’s absolutely legal. Do you see anybody out there doing a background check?”
The fact that most people turned in their guns instead of selling them to someone offering more money speaks to the fact that this wasn’t just get a gift card and go. Even if the people offering money for guns didn’t understand that.
Maybe I’m looking really hard for something positive here, but one story about the private gun buyers “competing” with the cops (I think it was on KOMO) showed a picture of some weapons that looked like what you’d expect people to bring to “Antiques Roadshow”. That doesn’t bother me a whole lot. It seems the creeps who’ve been shooting up people in schools and theaters have been using considerably later-model stuff.
A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
Let’s keep taking steps.
I thought about going up to one of those gun buy-back program ans seeing if anyone had a .380 automatic to sell. I’d have given $200 in cash easily for a nice condition Walther PPK.
When I saw on Channel 7 news the guns that were turned in, however, I realized that, had I gone up to Seattle to take a look, it would have pretty much been a fruitless effort. The guns people were turning in were mostly pieces of crap or guns I have no interest in.
@3 If you want a .380 for anything besides a gun buy-back gift card you’re even dumber than I thought. If you need a gun, get a real one, in case you have to use it. I wouldn’t entrust my life to a popgun.
@4 Roger,
Add Ballistically Incorrect to the list. heh.
I figure gun buy backs are generally a good thing because they remove guns from people who are uncomfortable with them, and remove a number of junk guns from circulation. I don’t have any firearm I would let go for $100.
On one last note of hilarity, the Seattle Police department claims that they will check the buyback guns to see if any were previously stolen and, if so, try to return them to the rightful owners!
http://dcxposed.com/2013/01/27.....-show-lol/
From the comments, link @ 7:
1. Report your gun as stolen.
2. Hand it in to get a gift card.
3. Have your gun returned to you.
@8. If you want your well kept weapon thrown in a bin with a bunch of scrap metal go for it.
@ 9
I’m sure @ 8 was intended as sarcasm. The silliest thing about the decision by SPD to hand the stolen guns back to the owners is that the guns kept least securely – ones permitted to be stolen, vs. those carefully locked away – will be back in the custody of those from whom they were taken in the first place. They’re free to be stolen yet again.
@10 Yeah, you mean like then police chief Kerlikowski.
@4 & 5,
One of the favorite weapons for Mafia hit men is a simple .22 revolver using the .22 Short round. It doesn’t make much noise, and two rounds put into a person’s head just behind the ear will do the trick. It’s a close range weapon of choice for some because the gun is cheap (thus expendable) and the round is difficult for forensics people to trace.
You two don’t know much about firearms. A .380 isn’t such a bad piece to carry concealed, and it packs a pretty good punch. Two rounds into the upper chest will get any bad guy’s attention. I was looking for something like a Walther PPK for concealed carry reasons. It’s chambered in .380 auto.
From what I could see on the TV news concerning the gun buy back, the SPD got a lot of junky guns “off the streets,” if, indeed, those weapons were “on the street” to begin with. My guess is that a lot of the guns collected had been setting in the back of closets or old drawers for decades and were pretty much worthless.
You usual suspects out to focus your efforts on the Seattle cops. Those boys think they’re above the law when it comes to using violence. Heck, the very fact that your cops are a bunch of thugs is a pretty good reason to own a gun and know how to use it!!