Dean Weingarten Doesn’t Like Gun “Buy Backs”

By Dean Weingarten

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in San Jose, CA held a gun surrender event last Friday. The event netted “nearly” 200 firearms – a meager amount of guns for such a large population center. mercurynews.com reports that one owner turned in 47 firearms. I can’t find any photographs of the confiscated firearms. We could speculate all day long about pre-war Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, WWII trophy Lugers and WWI Webleys, classic Browning Auto-5 hunting shotguns and Remington pump .22 rifles. But the more important point is that . . .

Gun surrender events do not reduce crime or violence with guns. They exist because they’re useful as political propaganda, sending a message to the uniformed that “guns are bad and should be turned in to police.”

Gun surrender events are also expensive. According to kron4.com. the San Jose “buy back” paid $45k to anonymous gun owners. The cash came from the nonprofit FIRST 5 Santa Clara County and the sheriff’s office’s asset forfeiture fund. Money which could have gone to effective crime reduction efforts. Money which does not cover the “buy back’s” administrative costs (e.g., the …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns