Sunday, December 28, 2008

I wonder

Courtesy of David Codrea, we learn of a gun buyback program in Los Angeles. It's seems that if you turn in a gun, you're given a $100 gift card or a $200 gift card, depending on type of firearm surrendered.

I generally agree with David's perspective on the issue, but there are a couple of questions I always have about these things.

1. Are the police making a record of model and serial number and running them through NCIC? I'd hate to have one of my guns stolen, then turned in and melted down. Especially if the police had it in their possession.

2. Are the police requiring IDs from the people who turn in the guns? Running names through databases and making sure that convicted felons aren't breaking the law by turning in guns they shouldn't have in the first place.

3. Are the police test-firing the guns and keeping records for ballistic matching? If I had a murder gun and I was sure the police would melt it down, then that would be a perfect time to discard it. Especially if turning it in would insure a cash reward.

If the cops aren't doing those things, then they're incompetent at best, and complicit in crime at the worst.

1 comment:

Rivrdog said...

"Cease-Fire Oregon" conducts occasional gun buy-backs here in the Portland area. I've patronized two of them, turning in 2 old .38 S&W top-break revolvers (not S&Ws, some copy of them) that I was left in an estate, and finally an old German .32ACP pocket gun of the 1930's of an obscure brand ("Leonhardt") with a broken firing pin.

I did have to present my ID and my data from it was recorded by hand, but there was an understood "King's-X" on checking the actual serial numbers of the firearms turned in. It seems that the gun-ban outfit thinks that such checking stops street punks from turning in guns.

I was at both turn-ins for almost an hour each time, and I never saw a street punk turn in a gun.

My guess is that the cops were there getting their "community service" creds.