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I ask again: if a transfer of firearms is occurring without the requisite paperwork (as it seems it must in 'no questions asked' "buy backs"), is not federal and state law being violated (multiple counts)?

State laws vary of course, but federal law does not require any paperwork unless the seller is a federally licensed firearms dealer. It illegal, under federal law, to be engaged in the business of buying and selling firearms without a license. I'm sure this would not count as being engaged in the business, because the intent is not to make money. Florida, and the federales, require background checks of purchasers, not sellers. Law enforcement agencies are exempt from these requirements (as usual)

Of course the "no questions asked" nature of these "buy back" programs can and undoubtedly does lead to many abuses. The police are neglecting their duty to enforce the laws against criminals in possession of firearms and thus leaving criminals on the street. Sometimes they do run the serial numbers to try to determine if the guns are stolen, but of course by then, the thieves are long gone, or the reports of the thefts have not made into the system yet. (The legitimate owners may not even know that they are missing yet).