This happened...in Texas of all places.

[DFW1911]

Texans have a proud heritage of firearms ownership.

I'm not surprised by such an event, but profoundly disappointed.

what are the cities or state going to do with the guns, paid for with our tax dollars?

I despise the whole "turn in guns for X" approach to disarming the public. These folks should have sold their guns, not turn them in for $50 in food coupons. Who knows how many great deals just vanished?

Why don't we have a "turn in your cell phones for X" program? I'm endangered more by people speaking on their cell phones or texting while driving much more than I am by firearms.

I'll be writing some elected officials about this:


Guns for Groceries

Published : Saturday, 15 Aug 2009, 8:13 PM CDT

Dallas, Fort Worth - A program to get guns off the streets in Dallas and Fort Worth is being called a success. In Dallas, 175 guns were turned in today at a gun buyback event at Dallas City Hall. Today's event was the second buyback this year for the City of Dallas. In February, 147 guns were turned in. The city has now surpassed its goal of bringing 300 guns total in 2009.

The public also gets something out of the event. Each operational, unloaded firearm was traded for a $50 grocery card. The Dallas Police Department also provided gun safety and other crime prevention literature at the event.

Dallas surpassed Fort Worth in the number of guns bought back today. One hundred-42 guns were turned in today at Truevine Missionary Baptist church in Fort Worth. It has been 15 years since the city has had a gun buyback program. Guns collected in the buyback events will be destroyed.

Source link: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/Guns_for_Groceries

 

[nathan]

I hope no similar thing will follow in Houston.

 

[Lakeshore]

I'd like to see what was turned in. Most were undoubtedly junkers, but don't you know out of 175 guns there were a handful of gems where the knucklehead didn't realize what he/she was giving up. Also have to wonder how many of those "destroyed" guns wind up in some local official's gun safe.

 

[rbernie]

The more urbanized the area, the more likely these sorts of things are going to take place. It's simply a matter of percentages; if X percentage of the people support such measures, there will simply be more of those folk in dense population areas than in sparsely populated areas.

Being in Texas is no safe haven from those folk who would disarm themselves, and us.

 

[neverjeg]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If they're stupid enough to turn the guns in - then they shouldn't have them anyway.

 

[bwdilli]

I have to say, I hope they do have one of these in Houston. I've got a few old pieces that are junk. I bought them for next to nothing for parts. I'd sell them to those Anti who would organize a buy back. Just makes them spend more money for nothing. I'll turn a profit and use the money for more guns. Can't be a better way to turn it around on them. Don't get upset, just use their tactics against them.

 

[SFB]

+1 neverjeg

 

[84B20]

DFW1911, cell phones don't kill people, people kill people. I thought you knew that.

But seriously, I agree with neverjeg, if people are stupid enough to turn in their guns they shouldn't have them in the first place. If they ever wise up and decide to buy another it is just better for the manufacturers and us indirectly. But I know, what’s the likelihood of that.

 

[juk]

Sounds like they are getting picky now. The way the article is written, it sounds like it has to be an operable firearm in the first place to get your 50$ worth of groceries. I'm with you on the cell phones. I'm much more likely to be killed by a distracted teenager at the wheel than I am being shot with a gun.

 

[oldreloader]

I wonder how many of those guns will turn up on a stolen list.

 

[ezypikns]

It's happened here before.

Most of the guns are beaters. Crappy revolvers and even crappier semi-autos. Single shot shotguns and .22's. Mostly turned in by older people who found them in a closet somewhere. I wouldn't loose to much sleep about it.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

A program to get guns off the streets in Dallas and Fort Worth is being called a success.

Guns off the streets? How the heck do they have proof that these guns are coming off the streets (in other words, gang bangers and criminals) as opposed to junk guns from law-abiding citizens? I'm looking for logic in this journalism. Criminals aren't gonna turn in their guns for groceries. These gun buybacks can't possibly be designed to reduce crime -- that's a lie. It's merely an attempt to disarm honest people, it seems.

Why not go after the bad guys?

 

[chevyforlife21]

wow just wow

 

[TAG2501]

bureaucracy in action. It should work in a perfect world - therefore it works, regardless of the reality.

 

[DFW1911]

On one of these buy-backs somewhere I saw an interview with a older gentleman who turned in some of his guns, which were nice and in good condition.

His reason? He didn't know how to sell them At the very least he could have taken them to a gun shop and gotten a better price.

He was definitely not the target of the program, but was being heralded as some great success story, probably for this line "...and it will prevent them from falling into the hands of the bad guys..." or something like that.

It just made me sick .

 

[alex_h]

if they have one around my area i would not mind watching people on the way in asking them what they got and if in better shape offer them $25 more and in cash

 

[peyton]

If they only wanted operational guns, did they load one in the chamber or cylinder and pull the trigger to test it??? LOL

 

[RioShooter]

Dallas really isn't part of Texas anymore. It is a liberal colony within the state boundaries.

 

[Robert]

So Dallas has collected 300 firearms out of how many statewide? Forget the state, how many thousands or hundreds of thousands are still held by law abiding citizens in Dallas right now? Yeah good job there Dallas ya'll made one heck of a dent in those evil firearms. Meh, they do this because they know that there is nothing they can do to fight legitimate gun crime so they invent this kind of thing to say "look what we did, look look, we took back 300 evil guns and gave life out instead..."

 

[ge0624me]

Damn, come to my hse ,i'll give you groceries for your guns....

 

[speaksoftly]

Sounds like the perfect opportunity! Instead of a $50 card I'll give you $75 in cash! ;-)

 

[MrPeter]

if they have one around my area i would not mind watching people on the way in asking them what they got and if in better shape offer them $25 more and in cash

Seriously, this was my thought exactly. I would bring a couple hundred bucks and a junker H&R AMERICAN DOUBLE ACTION that has more rust than steel on it to trade in (so I look like I have a reason to be there) and scope out everyone's trade ins. Then I would make offers of $60 to anyone who had something that looked like it was worth anything and didn't have a serial number filed off.

If I didn't like the way it shot, I'd sell it to the local gun shop! Sounds like a great plan to me!

 

[sonier]

hmmmmm i think there is some benefits to reap off this. If somin like this happens near me ill bring 500 bucks. id be happy to buy some from some peeps lol. has anyone thought of doing this same tactic except for pro gun ownership. because if these people want to sell them why not sell them, and not destroy them.

 

[9mm+]

As neverjeg said, those dumb enough to turn them in didn't deserve them in the first place. I suspect that the majority of the weapons turned in were being used for, hmmmm, "less than legal" purposes. If I still lived in Texas, there is no way on God's green Earth I would ever turn in any weapon, but I wouldn't be torn up if the bad guys were relinquishing theirs.

 

[happygeek]

Do they check the serial # and see if the gun has been used in a crime before they destroy it? Do they take down the name of the guy that turned it in? Because if they don't, it seems like the perfect way for mr. gangbanger to dispose of the pistol he stole and then used in the murder of a rival drug dealer; and he gets free groceries in the process.