Anti-tank grenade launcher turns up at Seattle gun buyback event (and impromptu gun show occurs)

The Seattle Times ^ | January 26, 2013 | Nick Provenza

[Junior_G]

A lot of guns showed up at the city of Seattle’s gun buyback event today, but it’s not likely anyone was prepared for the Russian-made anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher that someone turned in...

[Junior_G]

This is the "City of Seattle will destroy your gun evidence for free, no questions asked" gun buyback event. My favorite is this line from the end of the article:

"...and there was a steady business on the street by people buying guns from those standing in line, even before they had a chance to exchange their guns for a gift certificate."

[GeronL]

That last line in your post is awesome

[mnehring]

Another inert training tube. They are shelf candy and nothing more. you can pick them up on the internet for a few hundred bucks.

[Vince Ferrer]

"...and there was a steady business on the street by people buying guns from those standing in line, even before they had a chance to exchange their guns for a gift certificate."

God bless America.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

My father was a Howitzer gunner and had a LARGE spent shell which my mom used to hold dried flowers and stuff.. OMG!!! LOL

[Not A Snowbird]

Brilliant!

What better place to buy firearms at a good price than at a gun buyback event?

[NewHampshireDuo]

I once made a 25 lb practice bomb into a weathervane. Looked cute. The thing was pretty much all iron with a nose cavity for a smoke shell.

[Hot Tabasco]

The stamping plant I worked for in Detroit used to make munitions during WW-II and there were a number of shell casings lying around in the closed areas of the plant.

In retrospect, I wish I had picked them up due to the cost of brass today

[Gator113]

Capitalism works.

[rktman]

Nikes for pipes. What a deal. Maybe next time I’ll take some cut up aluminum conduit and claim it as an anti-aircraft rocket launcher for a $100 wally world card. Nice club. I guess.

[cquiggy]

I live next to Fort Knox Ky and all over town you can find empty casings from tank rounds. Lots of people around here used them for driveway markers and a few shops around town use them for door stops and ashtrays.

[Robert357]

“...What better place to buy firearms at a good price than at a gun buyback event?...”

Well, I would hesitate for two reasons. First possession of stolen goods is not a nice thing to be charged with. Second, if the firearm had been used in a crime and they were disposing of it on a no questions asked basis, I would hate to find out in some police station that a firearm I had, was previously used in some serious crime and be asked if I had a good alibie as to where I was when the crime was committed.

But that is just me. These things may not bother you or the folks purchasing from those in line.

[MasterGunner01]

Well, Mr. Nick Provenza of the Seattle Times — it is not an anti-tank rocket launcher in your picture. That's the fired launch tube from a FIM-92 “Stinger” man portable surface to air missile system. It's about as dangerous as a piece of plastic drain pipe.

[tumblindice]

An RPG, LAW or Panzerfaust trumps a shotgun where 20' crocodiles are concerned.

[marktwain]

Of course, it does not help if you fire the shotgun wildly into the air.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Several things. It is Seattle and the Seattle Times. What did you expect, honest reporting, knowledgeable reporting, or accuracy?

The only thing the media knows about in Seattle is the difference between warm Brie and Limburger.

Other than that, the news is a crapshoot for accuracy, honesty, knowledge and other minor related issues.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Did you notice that the Seattle cop looks exactly like DAVID “THE RED” AXELROD?

Is he moonlighting in the drug-capital of America?

[Stonewall Jackson]

Greetings neighbor. I'm down in E-Town and I see old tank casings at auctions and yard sales all the time.

It's real exciting hen you find one that's still live. ;-)

[Not A Snowbird]

Actually, you bring up some very good points that I hadn’t thought of.

I had to laugh this morning when I saw the follow-up to the missile launcher story... all the excited tweets from the mayor and pictures posing with the thing... and it wasn’t even turned in. It was bought by another guy at the event. The police looked it over to make sure it was safe and GAVE IT BACK.