Cheap Gun Opportunity/Profitable Gun Turn in; Minneapolis 27 August, 2016

By Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-
There will be a gun turn in event on Saturday, 27 August, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  While these events are commonly labelled with the propaganda term “buyback” the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them.

The event will be held at two locations: Fire Station 17 at 330 E 38th St. in south Minneapolis; Fire Station 14 at 2002 Lowry Ave N in north Minneapolis.  Compensation will be in the form of Visa gift cards. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The compensation offered at this event is very generous when compared to most of these turn in situations. The total amount available for compensation is not stated. From fox9.com:

People can receive Visa gift cards for the following amounts in exchange for various types of guns:

$300 = compensation for turning in an assault weapon, semi-automatic small caliber rifle with detachable magazine
$200 = compensation for turning in handguns and large caliber rifles, bolt action or lever action rifle
$100 = compensation for turning in shotguns, and small caliber rifles, bolt action or lever action rifle
$15 (or donated)= compensation for turning in inoperable guns of any kind, antique firearms, or BB guns.

Ammunition and firearm accessories are accepted for free.

Who will be making the determination of exactly what is an “assault weapon” is not clear, but last week there was a Savage semi-automatic small caliber rifle with a detachable 10 round magazine in WalMart, brand new, for $99 plus tax.

There are many old and tired handguns in the country that can be had for less than $100.  The RG-14 comes to mind.

I suspect that the supply of gift cards will be quickly depleted.  If you intend to drop off a couple of well worn RG revolvers or Davis semi-autos, get there early.  There will likely be a line forming before the stated time.

It is not clear if there will be a police presence at the Fire Stations.

Some police departments are hostile to private buyers; others are friendly.  It is best to do local research before arriving to offer to buy firearms. Much depends on what public parking is available, and where private buyers are allowed. Some private buyers have been able to overcome these obstacles and achieve considerable success.

Once the available funds are expended, people will be showing up with guns that they want to get rid of, only to find that the money they expected is gone.  Many private sales occur in these situations.

Across the country, communities, police departments and churches are sponsoring gun turn-ins to get “guns off the street”. At many of these events, private buyers are showing up, offering cash for the more valuable guns. These private additions to the public turn-in are effective, no doubt, in getting more guns off the street, because they add to the resources that are available to those who want to get rid of guns for something of value, be it a grocery card or a number of twenty dollar bills.

You can help make the turn-in in your area more effective by standing on the curb with your “Cash for Guns” sign, or at a folding table, willing to offer more than the gift card for firearms that are more valuable. It would be best if numerous private parties were available, as more good guns could then be transferred into responsible hands.

This action serves many useful purposes. It stretches the turn-in budget so that more guns can be taken off the street. It helps keep fearful widows from being defrauded of most of the market value of the gun they are turning in. It prevents valuable assets from being destroyed by bureaucratic inflexibility. It is a win-win-win situation.

It also dispels the pernicious message that guns are bad and should be destroyed.

Private sales are legal in Minnesota.  There is no requirement to ask the government for permission to transfer a firearm, but transferring one to a known  prohibited possessor is against the law.

Here is how private buyers handled challenges in Jacksonville, Florida.

Link to article with numerous examples of private sales at gun turn in events

Link to most recent article about private buyers at Milwaukee event

Link to Phoenix Article: pictures of private buyers

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.