Gun 'buyback' Transfers Guns to Legal Market, uses Funds to get more Guns 'off the streets'

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2016/02/gun-buyback-transfers-guns-to-legal.html ^ | 2 February, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

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Photo courtesy of Charles Tassell

I have often written that gun turn in programs, also known by the propaganda term 'gun buy back' (you cannot 'buy back' a gun you never owned), would benefit by including private buyers so that more guns could be purchased from people who do not want them, and the proceeds recycled into more gun turn ins.

The program would then be self sustaining and perpetual, serving to give people who do not want guns an easy way to legally dispose of them, while saving valuable resources and directing the guns into the legal market.  Resources that would have gone to manufacture more guns will then go to more productive purposes.

It appears that Charles Tassell, who is a Deer Park City Councilperson has had parallel thoughts.  He has put his thoughts into practice, in a market based gun turn in system that gets high marks for innovation, responsibility, and good management.  From cincinnati.com:

Deer Park City Councilperson Charles Tassell, who is pro-gun and holds a concealed-carry permit, didn't think that was the best way to run "Street Rescue," his gun buyback program.

Instead, he turns in the collected guns to federally licensed firearms dealers to be sold to the right hands.

"It's not my determination of the 'right hands,'" Tassell said. "It's the federal government's decision."

Buckeye Firearms explains why the system works so well:

 "Allowing the guns to go back into the secondary markets is a much better solution than simply destroying the firearms," said Joe Eaton, treasurer of the Buckeye Firearms Association. "It protects the historical and collectible guns and makes families safer by making less expensive firearms available to them."

 Gun turn in events have declined in many states.  A number of them, such as Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky and others have made it illegal to conduct such events unless the guns are sold, to prevent destruction of valuable assets.  Charles Tassell's approach takes the best of both worlds and combines them into a well thought out program that allows people to easily get rid of guns that they are uncomfortable with. 

Then those guns are placed in the legal market where they go to responsible gun owners.  Valuable guns are turned into more funds to continue the program; stolen guns are returned to owners.  Historical artifacts are preserved and cherished.

It is a win - win for all concerned.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Link to Gun Watch

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“Is the bottom row left right a Browning Hi Power?”

No, it is an FN 1922. A number were imported surplus a few years ago.

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“Yeah, except those who trade guns for a living - they’re being edged out of the business by yet more government interference.”

The guns are sold to dealers.

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“Of course, the big problem with these programs is that there MUST be a lot of guns that were stolen, or used in crimes, that are sold to the buy-back people, all on the promise of “no questions asked.” Real smart...for a rock.”

Stolen guns are less than 1% of the guns in these turn in events, or perhaps I should say that less than 1% of the guns turned in are found to be stolen.

I wrote about one event in Florida, in a high crime area, where the number was up to 3%, but that was very unusual.