A BEST BUY in Chicagoland: Selling (s)crap metal at a gun turn in

[bsf]

Entrepreneurialism at its finest.

 

[zeroskillz]

hmmm I wonder if there's any guns out there I can get for under $100.0


Seriously though, that's awesome. Nice work.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Templar223--I'll be honest in that I have mixed feelings about cashing in on old junk guns--but that's because they are great learning tools for tinkering, etc. In pragmatic terms I can't but offer high praise for what you did with the money.

 

[Big Calhoun]

Personally, I think this is deserving of a 'atta boy' and a few rounds of scotch. On principle, I can understand the arguments that have been presented. But in a practical light, this is dang funny! OP should put this on Delicious or Digg for added publicity.

Good job, imo!

 

[230RN]

I'm with the crowd who says "stick it to 'em."

If they want to give me money for old junkers, so be it.

I do not see any reason to not do so... the thought that you are "helping" the anti-crowd seems like a b i i i g stretch --regardless of the dispostion of the funds received.

What does bother me is the thought that perhaps some very good guns are being disposed of in this way. Who knows if there were a couple of Parker shotguns or whatever in the mix?

The other thing that bothers me is how this can be legal under the terrific burden of firearms laws we are all supposed to live under.

Did Hizzoner just wave his Magic Scepter and "proclaim" that all this was legal?

 

[RuffRidr]

I agree with Big Calhoun. The more publicity this gets, the better. Sites like Digg, Reddit, Fark, and Del.icio.us will get more eyes looking at this. Also, crossposting to other forums wouldn't be a bad idea.

--RuffRidr

 

[rugerdude]

Let's see. You could have given your broken, crappy, rusted pieces of junk to smithing schools so that someone could fix what was crap to begin with, OR sold them off for far more than they are worth to get nice, working guns in the hands of the people who are the future. Allt he while taking money from the other side.

You did the right thing. I just don't see the logic behind those who think you did wrong by out-foxing the antis. You got their money, and you got new guns in the hands of youths who will be shooting them in a safe, supervised manner.

I seriously think you should look into getting local or national news publicity out of this provided you didn't break some sort of obscure law.

Once again, very nice work. I'd take a high quality working rifle over a crappy, broken pistol that I couldn't find ammo for anyway (and I think those youth shooters would agree).

 

[ArmedBear]

"Don't kill a dream, save a life?"

Uh, if someone breaks into my house and is dreaming of, say, raping my wife or something, I think it'd be okay to kill that dream.

 

[SeanSw]

I really ought to become involved with the Champaign County Rifle association. The club I shoot at has a lot of memberships but I have met a few crotchety old men in camo socks who gave me the Nth degree because "We haven't seen you around here before". They made my afternoon uncomfortable and I would have packed up if that wasn't exactly what they wanted. Generally the other members I met were friendly and supportive, but it's always the bad apples....

I support these actions because the end result will be helping to increase the education and public perception of 2A rights. Like the Antis say, it's for the children. So lets give the kid a gun and teach him to use the real tool, the one between his ears, in the best way possible.

 

[bsf]

I actually think broad dispersal of this little success is a bad idea. I would like to see more, many more, people do this if it did not subject them to undue risk. Why ruin a good thing?

 

[Templar223]

Since when are WORKING guns considered "scrap metal"?

Sure, some of the guns would "work". Safe to shoot? I wouldn't want to try it with modern ammunition.

Others were so badly rusted that while they might have shot...

One break-open Western Auto shotgun was missing the forearm. Yeah, I could have sunk $30 or more into a new forearm. But then what would I have? It would have been a beat-up 20 ga worth about $50. So I sold it. If I develop an affinity for a 20-gauge break open, I'll just buy a new one. I don't see that happening any time soon.

Many of the 'better' guns (and I use that term loosely) were gutted for internal parts.

Yes, one wheelgun, a five-shot RG .22 revolver, was probably the best one turned in. Again, I'll trade $50 guns for $100 cash any day of the week.

No offense, but you are missing the point. It doesn't matter if the guns were in working order - the anti's don't know the difference. To them, a gun is a gun. There are probably a lot of collectors, gun schools, amateur gunsmith's, etc., that would love to get their hands on some of those guns. Besides that, he played into the "buy back" program - which helps their cause.

Bravo sierra on several layers.

I strongly dispute your fundamental assumption that a turn-in helps those opposed to the right of self-defense. How does a turn-in "help" the hoplophobes? Hmm?

Collectors, schools, etc.? Oh, save the drama. Why would anyone want to work on a gun that is unsafe to shoot?

Why don't some of you absolutists put your checkbooks where your mouths are and step up to the plate. You tell me how many clunkers you want to buy for $100 each and I'll tell you how many checks to bring. You can then donate them to a school or keep it all quiet so we don't "help their cause."

The response by some of the people on this forum makes me ill!

John

 

[Bubbles]

Just a thought - those buy-backs end for the day when they run out of debit cards. By turning in those junkers he may have saved a decent-quality firearm from the smelter.

 

[Templar223]

I'm guilty as charged.

I can see in post #30 of this thread, that you are very active in helping the anti-gunners Illinois.

I plead guilty as charged.

If you consider taking money off their hands as "helping" those opposed to self-defense, then I am guilty as charged. And yes, I'm active. Over 3000 times in the last ten years or so.

Diverting resources from our opponents and using those resources to further our cause is the kind of HELP I'd like to give them on a regular basis.

If you don't agree with me, fine. That's your problem, not mine.

John

 

[TT]

Pretty sweet Templar. Bravo.

 

[elrod]

Bravo to you, Templar. How many of your critics make a habit of donating their old guns and broken pieces to "gunsmithing schools" to teach new 'smiths how to work on junk guns??? More power to you.

 

[Horsesense]

Some of you are so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.

I like what he is doing more than what I am not doing.

 

[Correia]

If so, I don't really know what else to say to you, other than thanks for the stab in the back. But hey, at least you got more than 30 pieces of silver, huh?

Where's Captain Hyperbole when you need him.

Donate an RG to a gunsmithing school? Is there a lot of business in fixing RGs? Give me a break...

The OP took money from the antis, and accomplished good with it. Sounds like Robin Hood to me.

Bulking up their stats? Heck, they make up their stats anyway.

I say good job.

 

[illspirit]

Excellent work Templar.

I don't see how this is helping the antis as some have said. Yea, short term, they get to brag about X number of guns "taken of the street." But if more people did this more often and documented it, we could turn the tables on the grabbers.

Just imagine if every time they had a press conference to announce another "successful buy-back," a gun rights group had one an hour later detailing just how much of what they got was scrap metal. Not only would this expose the myth that they're taking guns out of the hands of criminals or whatever, but the antis would feel rather silly that they've essentially become a gun rights fundraiser.

 

[Sistema1927]

Templar223,

My main concern is the risk that you took. What would have happened if you had been pulled over for a traffic stop in Mayor Dailey's fiefdom prior to unloading the junk on those clowns? Would you have incurred a felony rap?

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

You're my hero.

Great story, thanks for sharing it.


One question...You had a gun in your "fanny pack" while talking to the police officers? You sir, are a crazy SOB

 

[mata777]

A++++ for this guy!!!!

I also took junk to this buy back and by no means am I an anti. I figured that if they wanted to play this game of giving $100.00 for guns that I had that were rusted shut and did not function, I would take advantage of the situation. Deep down inside them they know that we (gun owners) used the city of chicago to dispose of junk. All those tec 9's and the poly ak-47 seen on tv were in cpd's vault for months before they planned this. +1 for the police officers in this event being clueless about firearms (this is very scary if you sit down and think about it).

 

[Templar223]

My main concern is the risk that you took. What would have happened if you had been pulled over for a traffic stop in Mayor Dailey's fiefdom prior to unloading the junk on those clowns? Would you have incurred a felony rap?

They could charge me with attempted murder, but I transported the firearms, each and every one of them, lawfully.

As a non-resident, I was covered as I was on my way to shoot at the range in Gurnee.

Just had to make a couple of stops on the way to turn in those evil guns.

Trust me, I not risking a felony rap.

John

 

[whitetiger7654]

Can you tell us how you got all those junk guns so we can do this in our towns as well. I being a college student could use extra cash this seems to be a quick and easy way.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Thats awsome. I bet that is the only time the gun "buyback" program has helped prevent kids shooting other kids.

 

[Templar223]

Can you tell us how you got all those junk guns

They came from old gunsmiths who usually have a bucket with inoperable guns, or guns that have been damaged in residential fires and are now all rusted and FUBARd. They also came from our members who have had these guns in the backs of their safes for gazillions of years.

John