Proposing options for buyback programs. Are there any besides destruction?

[U.S.SFC_RET]

You know cities will carry on gun buyback programs and I am fairly sertain that most wind up destroyed. After reading a recent thread concerning a gun buyback an idea came to mind.
Are there any cities out there that use any of these options when conducting a gun buyback program or do they simply destroy them.
We all hear the stories of grannies not needing their guns and selling a valued piece of history for pennies on the dollar.

Munincipalities are not interested in saving firearms from destruction but we are. Convincing a munincipality to profiteer a bit with the interest throwing a bit towards a charitable event while saving a collectible from a war vet is my cup of tea.
These firearms can be be verified not stolen. Resold off instead of facing destruction.



Option #1

Let an FFL dealers sponsor the city buy back programs and the firearms get resold.

1.The city saves money.
2.The gun gets sold off legally.
3. The firearm is saved from destruction.

P.S Saturday night specials need not apply. The city can buyback those.


Option #2.

The city runs a gun buyback program. Higher valued firearms are then auctioned off through gunbroker making the city more money.

Option #3.

The city runs a gun buyback program. Raffles off the higher ended firearms.

 

[iamkris]

I like the option that the Champaign County (Illinois) gun organization did. They buy/donate old junker guns and take them up to Chicago. Split up, go to all the "collection point", get the gift cards and use them to purchase rifles for their youth training program.

Sounds like an excellent eco-friendly recycling operation to me.

I'd like to know what the proportion of actual valuable guns that are collected in these things. The WWII 1911 that the widow finds in the attic and is turned in? I doubt these are destroyed. My guess is that they "get lost" or recorded as a Lorcin .25 Auto. Then they magically appear in the chief's or the property locker manager's home safe...all off the record, of course.

The problem with your options is that I don't think a city thinks the way you do. They see no difference between a HiPoint and a Ed Brown Custom. They see no difference between a a gangbanger and you. It is all about statistics and numbers to support their claim that they are keeping guns off the streets. They want the appearance of doing something...even if it does nothing. Your options make them look like they are putting guns back on the "street"...see above...they think you are as bad (or worse) than the criminals.

Stop thinking politicians are rational.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

While the ideas are good, the goals of the gun buybacks are to get guns off the street. Reselling guns will make money, but defeat the goal of getting them off the street.

 

[Shung]

I never found a gun "in the street" ... People buying guns legally are rarely inclined to let them "in the street" anyway !

 

[TPS]

iv never had any of my guns in the street. they are in my pocket, holstered on me, or in my safe. "on the street" is part of the warped mentality that the younger generation has been taught by our public school system and the state rum media. responsible gun owners know this for the most part. educate your children, friends, and relatives. that will do more to keep the "guns off the street" than any buyback progran ever will.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

DoubleNaughtspy

While the ideas are good, the goals of the gun buybacks are to get guns off the street. Reselling guns will make money, but defeat the goal of getting them off the street.

Off of the street or out of the streets in crime ridden areas.

Getting them off the street will never happen in the sense that buybacks work. The City pays to get them off the street and they still come in.

A workable solution to "save" firearms would let the 2nd amendment people involved to work out a common goal as an end result.

The cheap lorcins and saturday night specials can get torched but the higher value firearms can be auctioned off and "legally" transferred over to a responsible owner.

I think that the "city" knows getting firearms off of the street is impossible but better programs can help.

Targeting an area with buybacks with a financial incentive in mind for munincipalities could turn out to be a fairly good idea. There could be a better pay incentive to those turning them in. An incentive to get the RTKBA involved.

 

[nitetrane98]

I recently bought an entire parts kit for a Browning BDA .380 for 100 bucks. Everything but the grips, frame and magazine. Midwest Gun Works has all of these parts and the total would have been over 1500 bucks so I'm certainly in favor of recycling parts. The parts looked like they were from an unfired gun. It's a shame the entire gun had to die.

I can understand a widow or something getting rid of a gun she has absolutely no desire to keep. What's sad is how folks buy into the idea that by destroying them they are keeping them "off the streets". The idea of taking something of potential value from such a person in return for a 50 dolar Walmart card is unconscionable to me.

They don't want guns "off the street", they want guns off the planet.

 

[highorder]

They see no difference between a HiPoint and a Ed Brown Custom. They see no difference between a a gangbanger and you.

The WWII 1911 that the widow finds in the attic and is turned in? I doubt these are destroyed. My guess is that they "get lost" or recorded as a Lorcin .25 Auto. Then they magically appear in the chief's or the property locker manager's home safe...all off the record, of course.

Sadly, I'm sure you're correct on both points.

 

[Speedo66]

Since the idea is to remove them, they will destroy any received. The exception may be one of historic or other "rare" character that may be kept by their PD for "reference".

I do my own recycling program. I took 3 fairly worthless guns, 1 of which was inoperable, to a buyback program. Took the resulting $600 and bought my son and I each a new gun. Can't beat those buyback programs for recycling!!

I'd buy any $50 or under common guns and wait for the next buyback. Help keep the industry producing.

 

[huntsman]

Are there any besides destruction?

not for the Libs

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Off of the street or out of the streets in crime ridden areas.

Getting them off the street will never happen in the sense that buybacks work. The City pays to get them off the street and they still come in.

Well then, just why do you think cities keep having gun buybacks? It may never happen, but that doesn't stop the programs from continuing, does it?

A workable solution to "save" firearms would let the 2nd amendment people involved to work out a common goal as an end result.

You are going to have to convince all the cities with gun buybacks that you have a common goal. Your goal of saving guns is at odds with the city goals of getting rid of guns.

Targeting an area with buybacks with a financial incentive in mind for munincipalities could turn out to be a fairly good idea. There could be a better pay incentive to those turning them in. An incentive to get the RTKBA involved.

\

Yes, it could. I am not disagreeing with you here at all. However, for the cities that don't already sell and/or auction guns, how are you going to convince them to become for-profit dealers? Just how well do you think the gun buybacks are going to go when the public knows that they guns they are selling to the city for $50, coupons, or savings bonds are being turned around for a hefty profit by the city? How much incentive is that going to give people to sell guns?

Are you going to make the programs financially responsible as well? Will the operations have to work in the black? No, they don't operate in the black now, but since you are selling the idea of the programs being for-profit, are you going to make the for-profit programs actually have to work in the black?

I still don't see how you are going to overcome the program goals of gun removal by returning some guns to the street. That is going to be a tough sell as you are redefining the goals of the program.

 

[wishin]

While the ideas are good, the goals of the gun buybacks are to get guns off the street. Reselling guns will make money, but defeat the goal of getting them off the street.

I fully agree.

How about this hair-brained idea. (Thought I'd say that before someone else does) Look at it like going to Las Vegas.

If one could do it without running afoul of the municipality, get an FFL holder (I don't know how BATFE views this, maybe an FFL isn't needed since it's face-to-face) and a group of people (or a backer) together that would be prepared to buy the to-be-junked firearms before the buy-back day. Advertise an offer to buy price a bit higher ($15-25?)than the city. Have a caveat saying you'll give a person $5-10 should the weapon not be worth anywhere near your advertised offer; in which case they can still take it to the city's buy-back program and they're not out anything. Many other considerations must be taken into account, not the least of which will be fighting over the booty, but that's the premise. There may be enough gems to more than offset this "cost of doing business". The risk is that none, or few, of the guns may not be worth much. Then you punt and promise never to gamble again!

 

[bwsmith2850]

Buybacks are effective

Getting them off the street will never happen in the sense that buybacks work. The City pays to get them off the street and they still come in.

Well then, just why do you think cities keep having gun buybacks? It may never happen, but that doesn't stop the programs from continuing, does it?

Because buybacks look good, sound good and seem like they're doing something about crime without actually sending criminals to prison. They are effective because that's their true purpose. Not making cities safer by getting rid of worn out guns or ones that you can't or can hardly find ammunition for. They get a big 'atta boy' from the media and 'Brady Bunch.' then they can tell the voters that they did something about crime and blame the NRA for gun violence. Never mind the NRA has been lobbying for enforcement of gun laws for as long as I can remember...

When (now convicted) Milw Alderman M. McGhee Jr. did his buyback the Urinal, er... Journal, had a long story about how wonderful he was. Never mind the pic thy ran with it was all of broken, rusted, obsolete guns, or 'suicide specials.' I'm pretty sure that those weren't being used in crimes or at least not fired because we had not heard any stories about how people were blowing parts of their hands off with them.

Even in the story that detailed his state sentencing (to follow his Federal time) This is what the Uri... Journal had to say, "Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Richard Sankovitz noted that when he was elected, McGee was seen as young, vibrant, bright and energetic, and as someone who pursued some worthy objectives, such as a gun buyback program.

"You are an imposter," Sankovitz told McGee. "You came to prominence as a leader, a public servant, but you are just another opportunist, the object of our pity as well as our scorn."

I'd call that effective! Even when going to prison for corruption he still gets praised for that buyback.

 

[goon]

I like the idea of having the serial numbers checked for stolen guns or guns known to have been used in crimes (I have no idea if this is possible), then auctioning them off. Maybe even staff the buyback with volunteer gun owners who get a first chance at something they want after the buyback is over.
It beats melting them into manhole covers.