Another waste of taxpayer money and police resources

[NcongruNt]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314531,00.html

San Francisco Trades Guns for Gift Cards

Sunday, December 02, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO — A man carrying a semiautomatic handgun approached a group of San Francisco police officers Saturday afternoon and, with a smile, handed over the pistol in exchange for $150 in gift cards.

"I used to fire it at bottles or do some plinking in the woods," said the gun's owner, 48-year-old Bruce Bourne. "But I have a 6-year-old daughter now and my wife was uncomfortable with it being in the house."

For a few hours on a sunny yet brisk Saturday, San Francisco police officers accepted 100 guns from about 80 people in the city's second "Gifts for Guns" event. The first event in July brought in 117 handguns and 2 shotguns.

The idea is to make the streets seem a little safer when the city's murder rate has risen in recent years — San Francisco has had at least 89 homicides so far this year.

Among the 100 guns collected Saturday were 4 assault rifles and two sawed-off shotguns, said Mikail Ali, director of the mayor's office of criminal justice.

As Ali discussed the city's efforts to curb violence another man walked up with a large, black gun case. He took out a black assault rifle with a folding stock and pistol grip and turned it in.

"Twenty years ago you could buy a gun like that legally in California. Some were registered properly, some weren't," Ali said.

California law makes owning an assault weapon illegal, but Gifts for Guns allows people to turn in their firearms without showing identification, and officials promise not to ask any questions about the guns' origins.

Once in police custody the guns are checked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to see if they were stolen. Ali said 99 percent of the guns recovered are destroyed and, if the guns were stolen, they are returned to their owners if possible.

Participants received $100 gift cards for rifles or shotguns, $150 cards for revolvers or semiautomatic pistols and $200 cards for assault-type weapons like AK-47s.

But not everyone participating in the gun program Saturday believed it was helpful.

Peter Buxtun, a 70-year-old gun advocate, turned in two pistols Saturday that he said were worthless. He collected $300 in gift cards.

"You can buy junk guns for $10 and then use the gift cards to buy new guns," he said. "I saw a half-dozen uniformed SF police officers taken off the street to sit for hours in a City Hall photo-op, instead of patrolling certain drug-ridden and gang-infested neighborhoods."

[kauboy]

The idea is to make the streets seem a little safer when the city's murder rate has risen in recent years...

^^^ That's the entire problem...

Sheep always want to feel safe. Do they honestly think that the people committing these murders are going to hand over their firearms???

[KD5NRH]

Peter Buxtun, a 70-year-old gun advocate, turned in two pistols Saturday that he said were worthless. He collected $300 in gift cards.

"You can buy junk guns for $10 and then use the gift cards to buy new guns," he said. "I saw a half-dozen uniformed SF police officers taken off the street to sit for hours in a City Hall photo-op, instead of patrolling certain drug-ridden and gang-infested neighborhoods."

We should all be doing this at every opportunity. I've got a Bernardelli that I've pretty much given up on finding parts for, but I bet I could make it pretend to work long enough to get a gift card worth about $50 more than I paid for it.

If these things happened around here on any sort of regular basis, I bet I could come up with a good pile of junk guns. For bonus points, get everybody together on it, and after they post their numbers of guns collected, contact the media with our number of worthless pieces of junk sold at a high profit...and how many guns or how much ammo we were able to get with said profit :)

[mkim1120]

[Keith B]

On the other side of the coin, maybe we can set up a booth like this and advertise. The only difference is we get to choose which ones we want to give gift cards for. I'll bet there are a quite a few of those that come in that are worth way more than $150 - $200. "Sir, I would like to get $150 in gift cards for this Kimber pistol that I got for Christmas a few years ago and never shot.'

[Longtooths]

If I man the booth for a couple of hours can I keep what I like during that time?

[Keith B]

If I man the booth for a couple of hours can I keep what I like during that time?

Yeah, that's the whole point to be able to fill our gun safes cheaper!! However, as the idea initiator, I get first choice on all prefered items.

[FightinAggieCHL]

Even better, do a draft system like Pro sports teams. Everyone gets a pick per round, then you keep going until there are no guns left. See there? So that way everyone gets a shot at one of the preferred weapons. You can do the draft order in number of quality weapons owned. Since I own one Smith and Wesson Sigma, and that's all, I should (of course) get first draft pick.

[rm9792]

Only issue I see is what to do about stolen weapons and ones wanted in crimes. The Police can declare an amnesty and not ask for ID then run the numbers later, you cant. I guess you could try to get the local PD to agree to run and you will give up what comes up hot.

[stevie_d_64]

Here's a slant for you to ponder...

How many of you keep one or two "junker/klunker" firearms, that may or may not work, but would use them "just in case" you had to turn them in for some reason...

Sure, someone will know you have guns, but if you turn in few that might not be worth anything, then that could dissuade any immediate follow up investigations...You know, to give you time to assess your "other" collection...

Just a wild idea I suppose...

One of the reasons you could not pay me enough money...Well I do have a number, but that beside the point...To live in California, Illinois, Hawaii and a few other states that are just not Stevie-D material...

[Odin]

There was a gun "buy back" like this in Dallas not too long ago. I traded 1 junker and 1 working but cheapo in for $100. I had previously tried to off one of these guns (the cheapo) at several gun shows and couldn't even trade it for a decent holster.

If they keep doing these in Dallas I'll keep an eye out for really cheap crappy guns in pawn shops and at the tables and turn a profit.

I wonder of the politicians see any irony in paying a criminal for a stolen gun or a gun that was used in a crime. How many of these guns might have been used in crimes but are now destroyed (and no longer available for ballistic testing). It's purely a "feel good" media stunt.

[KC5AV]

Here's a slant for you to ponder...

How many of you keep one or two "junker/klunker" firearms, that may or may not work, but would use them "just in case" you had to turn them in for some reason...

I have a Sig 226 that suffered a catastrophic failure a while back. That exact thought is the only real reason I haven't looked for a good way to dispose of it. Besides, it gives me something to practice with around the house while I wait for my plastic to arrive, and while I save up a few more dollars for the new addition to the 'family' when said plastic arrives.

[QuackAddict]

Maybe I could stand out in the parking lot and get first shot at some of the nicer guns...I could offer cash, of course. I once heard a story about a sawed-off Krieghoff showing up at one of these gun buybacks. Obviously the punk that had no idea about what that shotgun was worth before he took a hacksaw to it. Makes me teary-eyed.