zopperman
Moderator
Nope, but I'm driving through Boston later tonight...
Has anyone ever participated in a gun buyback program?
- Thread starter zopperman
- Start date
Nope, but I'm driving through Boston later tonight...
mikebontoft
New member
lol really... haha.
zopperman
Moderator
Yeah, it's our fall break now. I'm spending the night outside boston and driving up to Maine tomorrow morning.
Small world
BrianSD_42
New member
Your thesis for what? College senior? Masters Program?
Gun buyback programs DO very very slightly lower the number number of guns in said zip code. They do NOT lower crime in any way or lower the # of guns on the streets.
Any person liberal or conservative who has taken a few economics classis should be able to tell you this. In fact the NPR show Freakonomics did a whole podcast on it.
The reason these programs are a waste is because guns are statistically not likely to kill someone. Each gun causes a death every 10,000 years because there are so many millions of firearms and 99.99xxx% of the guns don't harm anyone in a given year. My uncles gun haven't harmed anyone, my neighbor, my co-worker etc. There are so many guns that the existence of a gun isn't any indicator of a future death or accident. Swimming pools kill 100x more children per household that has children.
Also the programs don't work for the obvious reason that those who really need a gun, those likely to use a gun do not give them up. The criminals don't give up their guns, just the (mostly poor) folks who had an old gun in their attic and would be glad to trade it for a best buy gift card.
I asked what degree level this research is for because a internet forum is hardly a good place to get a polling sample.
BrianSD_42
New member
BTW,
Here is the data I was talking about ...
Freakonomics » How to Think About Guns: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast
Here is the data I was talking about ...
Freakonomics » How to Think About Guns: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast
zopperman
Moderator
Undergrad honors thesis
I'm happy to send you a copy of it if you want to debate the efficacy.. but yeah there is little evidence to contradict their failure. However nearly all studies have been conducted in an interrupted time series (measure crime say monthly before buyback to establish trend, implement buyback, look for sharp change in the data and long term causal effects). In a study in Australia, albeit under very specific pretenses ("compulsory" buyback, Australia is an island and can much more easily regulate importation, etc..) , their was a significant effect when the researchers used panel data and a cross sectional approach and separate controls. The US studies all use the same state as control and treatment group. There have also been zero studies on community led buybacks as opposed to community run programs. All I'm saying here is that there are definitely gaps in the coverage of the existing literature.
I'm not AT ALL asking for a polling sample or any usable data, but I was curious if anyone had actually participated in one just for the sake of my own knowledge, what the experience was like, and if there was any further research being conducted that could surface in the next year (like if someone was surveyed at a buyback)
BrianSD_42
New member
I just think that the common sense reasons (which I listed above) for why these programs do not work are pretty hard to overcome.
zopperman
Moderator
Welcome to social science research, where common sense never prevails unless it is backed by tons of research :crazy:
Ol'Blue
New member
BrianSD_42
New member
Holy crap ... If someone turned in their grandfathers or fathers M1911 they really are stupid.
zopperman
Moderator
Rocket launcher among 2,600 weapons collected during 2-day gun buyback event in New Jersey - NY Daily News
lol @ the picture of the cop looking into the missile launcher.
lol @ the picture of the cop looking into the missile launcher.
BlazeRunner
Member
Out here in Phx they had to cut the gun buyback early because they ran out of vouchers. All guns received by them are and were destroyed. Many people went to the location offering people cash for firearms instead of turning them in. I heard some really expensive and rare shotguns got turned in and destroyed. I was invited by a group of pro-2nds to go support private party sales / protest the buyback, but I didn't go. I know the news here locally did cover it and wrote a few articles on how it affected their gun buybacks here in AZ and the controversy behind it all. Arizona has a very large firearms community, as is witnessed by private backpage.com firearms listings. I have yet to find another city in the US that comes close to Phoenix in the amount of firearms sold through the sports equipment section of that website.
ArnavG544
New member
I don't know if I was late to answer, but my mom and dad recently adopted a baby boy right after birth from a friend in Louisiana who couldn't afford to give him a "perfect" life. Since in a couple years he will be running around the house, we participated in a buy-back to get our AR-15 out of the house. The money given back of course, wasn't nearly what we paid, but we were just happy to get rid of it, but, really, why did we have an AR in the first place? I have no clue. I think that's the feelings going through the heads of most participators: they just want to get rid of it, it's not all about the money.
And yes, we are very pro 2nd amendment, I shot my first gun when I was like 5, we have around 10 weapons right now, including 3 hand-guns and a concealed license.
brocktice
New member
Why not sell it privately or to your LGS or something? You'd probably have gotten more for it.
BlazeRunner
Member
^^^ also, you could have sold it to somebody who will enjoy it for years to come rather than having it destroyed. I wouldn't crush my extra car because I didn't need it, even if it was unsafe to have around.
LandCruiser
New member
...because guns are frightening... and your liberal pals may not want to come over and read Das Kapital and Mao's Little Red Book with you if they know you have an AR hiding in the house, just waiting to attack someone.
ArnavG544
New member
We just wanted the most hassle free method to sell it, and when our town was doing a buy back it was far simpler to just get rid of it there. My family really doesn't care (sorry to sound like a huge snob) a couple extra bucks in this situation.
And a car and gun are way different scenarios.
It was our choice, you guys could do it your own way given the opportunity.
And a car and gun are way different scenarios.
It was our choice, you guys could do it your own way given the opportunity.
ALBPM
New member
I never inherited anything old or in poor enough condition to have to take it to a Buyback.
I don't see a lot of good coming from the buyback programs. No criminal type is going to go a sell a piece that he used in a crime.
So, the only thing coming out of these is to further disarm the law abiding citizens.
Oh, maybe it gives the Liberal Gun Grabbing types a Warm Fuzzy when they see all the evil guns that are turned in.
In Texas, last June they had a Gun Give Away in a bad Houston neighborhood.
This probably did more to detour crime than a Buyback. It used to be a nice neighborhood until a bunch of Katrina immigrants moved in
Free gun initiative begins in Houston neighborhood
I don't see a lot of good coming from the buyback programs. No criminal type is going to go a sell a piece that he used in a crime.
So, the only thing coming out of these is to further disarm the law abiding citizens.
Oh, maybe it gives the Liberal Gun Grabbing types a Warm Fuzzy when they see all the evil guns that are turned in.
In Texas, last June they had a Gun Give Away in a bad Houston neighborhood.
This probably did more to detour crime than a Buyback. It used to be a nice neighborhood until a bunch of Katrina immigrants moved in
Free gun initiative begins in Houston neighborhood
BlazeRunner
Member
I don't think a car is very different than a gun. They're both tools, and without human interaction they're both rendered useless. A young child could easily find a set of keys, hop in the car and run down and kill more people than any person with a gun.
I just feel its a waste to destroy them, and at the same time you're supporting their buybacks for the wrong reasons. They want people getting used to turning in guns to authorities. It was your choice, and I wouldn't consider it being sold, because you agreed it should be destroyed instead of in the hands of somebody responsible. It was destroyed for really no reason at all. That's the part that bothers me, not the money. Guns will never go away, and destroying things that are still useful and will still be around is a waste.
And yeah, landcruiser since guns kill people, and pencils write words, guitars play songs... not the humans behind them. Trying to push responsibility from gun owners to a piece of machinery is pure ignorance. Edit: I know you're being sarcastic, I just find it ridiculous that people actually think like that...
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BlazeRunner
Member
This is the fuel behind the fire. Many of dictatorship that killed and controlled their own people always disarms their citizens first. Whether it's through gun control or force (with weapons). There is a reason the 2nd amendment was created, to keep the government from overpowering citizens.
“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them..."
-George Mason”
