Angelenos Swap Guns for Gift Cards - what a shame...
that it has come to gun turn ins for money just to score points for politicians. I am certain that no one turning in these guns was thinking of using them in a criime spree, if so then why turn them in at all. My guess is that there were no questions asked and if you turned in a gun they just gave you the $100 gift card. I am guessing that I could have profited at least $120 net profit by turning in just three old rifles I bought at a very decent price. I wish they would do that here where I live and give advance warning. I would go out and buy up every piece of junk 22 rifle I could lay my hands on, then I would turn a nice profit. As a matter of fact, maybe I would have to put together what appeared to be a functioning zip gun or two - as I see from the article that someone even turned in a homemade gun; of course, my homemade zip gun would not be capable of being fired but I'd give it a try to see if it got me that gift card. What a bunch of truly misguided people politicians and law enforcement can turn out to be (read what the sheriff said about the ONLY reason someone would have these guns). It is a true shame stuuff like this takes money out of the public coffer." It could have been used to feed and clothe people, or maybe to put up a Christmas tree, a Menorah and a sign saying have a nice day for the atheists. See the article below (from this link at Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,179714,00.html:
Angelenos Swap Guns for Gift Cards
Sunday, December 25, 2005
COMPTON, Calif. — "Big Daddy" Willis came to Compton to turn an illegal homemade pistol into Christmas dinner. Charlene Watt planned to turn three shotguns into a plasma TV.
The two were among dozens of gun-toting residents who converged on a shopping center parking lot Saturday to anonymously swap firearms for gift certificates as part of a program aimed at reducing violence in this crime-plagued city.
Each was rewarded with a $100 gift card for Circuit City or the Ralphs supermarket chain, the program's co-sponsors.
In a line that snaked across a parking lot, participants from across Los Angeles County carried guns in cardboard boxes, plastic grocery bags and fancy leather cases.
"Hopefully and prayerfully this will cut down on the shootings," said Compton resident Ruther Daniels, 44, who turned in a .22-caliber handgun.
Authorities created the program after a sharp spike in Compton's crime rate this year. Sixty-eight homicides have been recorded so far in 2005, up from 39 in 2004, according to sheriff's Capt. Eric Hamilton.
Over three consecutive Saturdays, sheriff's deputies amassed more than 250 firearms, including 185 handguns, 48 high-powered rifles, 15 sawed-off shotguns and a Tec-9 semiautomatic machine gun pistol.
"The only reason you'd have these guns is to shoot at people," said sheriff's Deputy A.J. Rotella, who came up with the Gifts for Guns concept.
All will undergo ballistics checks to determine if they were used in crimes before being melted down at the sheriff's annual "gun dump."
Authorities said the gun exchange might become an annual program. It was funded by the city of Compton, Circuit City, Ralphs and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department through its sale of assets seized in drug cases.
