Proposed Evansville Buyback Useless for Everything but Political Publicity

They make it sound like murderous gang members will be lining up to turn in the tools of their trade, as opposed to this being a photo op for “city leaders” eager to impress the gullible that they’re “doing something about gun violence.”

USA – -(Ammoland.com)-“City leaders considering gun buyback program,” NBCs Indiana affiliate WFIE News 14, Evansville, “reports.”  It’s one of those vapid and manipulative pieces that are a staple of local affiliates masking an agenda while trying to appear crusading and relevant.

The “city leader” in question is Councilman Jonathan Weaver, who thinks he can stage such a media event for around  $115K. Per the television report, he asserts it’s the type of thing “bigger cities like St. Louis have tried successfully.”

Would that be the St. Louis where “a … letter went out to more than 200 other families of people who were killed … during the most violent year the city has seen in more than 20 years”?

Weaver got his brainstorm after some “recent shootings in Evansville.” Gang shootings.

We find 14 out of 19 Evansville murder victims were killed by felons with firearms, people already prohibited by law from possessing guns. And with headlines like “Victim dies after being shot during drug-deal robbery,” you’ve got to ask yourself if there may be more effective options than trying to be like St. Louis.

How Weaver can keep a straight face claiming an idiot “buyback” event will have any impact on gangs doing their thing is left unsaid. That’s because it can’t and he knows it. But being an opportunistic Democrat, he knows plenty of politicians manage to get ink in the local papers and face time on local newscasts spouting such nonsense. “Reporters” on an easy assignment their bosses approve of won’t rock the boat with hard questions and will parrot talking points to an audience that for the most part knows even less than they do.

So News 14 viewers will likely never hear how the National Institute of Justice’s “Summary of Select Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies” concluded:

“Evidence: Gun buybacks are ineffective as generally implemented. 1. The buybacks are too small to have an impact. 2. The guns turned in are at low risk of ever being used in a crime. 3. Replacement guns are easily acquired. Unless these three points are overcome, a gun buyback cannot be effective.”

Nor will viewers who don’t go looking for themselves learn about the problems that “no questions asked” and other “buyback” absurdities can create. Or how such events actually increase the chances for danger and lawbreaking…

Since when is it “commonsense gun safety” to tempt people who may not be familiar with how to handle a gun to pick one up and transport it? Does a widow who found her late husband’s handgun know how to make sure it’s really unloaded, and to do so if it’s not? Does she know removing a magazine doesn’t necessarily mean there’s not one in the chamber? Or not to touch the trigger…? Or how to safely and legally transport a firearm…?

Isn’t it beyond irresponsible to lure such people with gift certificates and the like?

Don’t expect Weaver to address that. He’s too busy following up his “buyback” boondoggle plan by wasting even more tax plunder on “helping” to push for  Shotspotter in the 2019 budget. That’s the technology that, per a recent Forbes analysis, “alerts police to lots of gunfire, but produces few tangible results.”

But again, it doesn’t matter, because Weaver gets to take credit for another “accomplishment” on his campaign website as well as get his name favorably mentioned by cheerleader media.

And for someone with political ambitions, Weaver needs all the favorable media mentions he can get. That’s because it wasn’t even a year ago when he was getting headlines for criminal invasion of privacy charges over violating a restraining order filed in relation to his divorce. And while the County Prosecutor filed a motion to dismiss the charges in June, he made a point of adding circumstances were such that he did so “without prejudice, meaning that it could be refiled in the future.”

And then there’s a protective order naming Jonathan Weaver that is currently posted on the State of Indiana’s Court Information Technology Extranet. How that affects his status is unclear, but it would also appear that question 11.h. on ATF Form 4473 could be problematic for the councilman.

Whether it should be a disqualifier is something some would debate. After all, it’s no secret that divorces can be messy, ex-partners can be spiteful and all Americans are entitled to due process. Imposing a disability on a fundamental, Constitutionally-enumerated right before being convicted of a qualifying crime ought to trouble all of us.

Then again, the guy’s a Democrat politician and he’s out there advancing himself and taking advantage of media exposure by getting citizens to turn in their guns under the pretext that it will help alleviate gang murders.  He’ll probably see the event happen, too, and get plenty more brainless media coverage for “doing something” about “gun violence.”

If the “city leaders” play it right, they may even get to wow giddy reporters by “taking a bazooka off the streets.”

 


About David Codrea:David Codrea

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.

In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

David Codrea
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Matt G

If I remember correctly there was a few people who did just that here on the East Coast! They turned in some Home made guns for $100 and then pooled their money and bought a brand new Fire arm!! But then when the Local Municipality realized that is what the people were doing, they stopped handing out cash and started handing out “Gift Certificates” of “Gift Cards” for Groceries at a local grocery store!! Now that is what Almost All of the Cities, Towns, and municipalities do Now for their “gun buy Backs”, They call them “Guns for Groceries”!! The… Read more »

Alan

Did this home made gun actually fire a cartridge? As for such monies as the guy obtained, re the government body involved the following applies. A fool and his money are soon parted. Unfortunately, it isn’t “the fools money”, it could be your money dear taxpayer.

Scotty Gunn

1) I’ll give them fifty bucks for the gun in the first picture.
2) Isn’t it illegal to use tax payer money to buy back guns, only to be destroyed?

Aardvark

Of course gun buybacks don’t work. It’s convenient for clueless libs that inherited a gun and want to dispose of it, or for a gun owner that has a cheap gun that no longer works, to get a little money out of it for their next gun purchase, but as the Australian gun buyback that Hillary is so fond of showed us, it did nothing to reduce crime. All it did was create more defenseless victims of those crimes.

Alan

At the risk of sounding suspicious, isn’t that the ultimate intent, leaving the law abiding defenseless?

RayJN

If a criminal is shot during a crime he didn’t get HIS due process. Self defense is vigilantism. Of course Elites with their private or government provided security, deserve protection as they are much more important than the rest of us.

Vernon Farmer

How can anybody ever believe gun buy backs are any good. Guaranteed not a single gang member or anyone else would participate. Total waste of time and Evansville money. Enforcing laws in effect would do a better job.

Wild Bill

So, Councilman Jonathan Weaver is going to use $115,000 of Evansvilles city budget to create a black market for stolen guns and maybe even eliminate evidence of violent crimes. I wonder who Weaver’s constituency is?

revjen45

Wait a minute – maybe it’s not a PD but t’s still worth a lot more than a pair of sneakers.

revjen45

Who the Hell would be stupid enough to trade a Star PD (in the photo) for a pair of tennis shoes?

Aardvark

A liberal that inherited his fathers gun and believes the tennis shoes will help him run away from the bad guys if need be.

Wild Bill

@Aard, Most humorous, but you could have stopped at “A liberal…” !

Jim Yeakel

What are the procedures for conducting a gun buy-back ? It seems an obvious step but, when the government (police departent?) entity takes possession of the weapon, do they do a ballistic or serial number check to see if the weapon was used in a crime or stolen ? I keep hearing that many of these weapons aren’t functional. If the weapon isn’t functional, do they repair them in order to do ballistics tests ?

Clark Kent

Nope; they don’t.

Willia

Great way to get cash for guns that no longer function.

Samuel Stephens

Another DemocRATic Councilman Jonthon Weaver play acting like he has intelligence and he can’t do that very well either. He’s got a domestic restraining order against him and in most states can’t be near firearms or possess them.
Stupid a**hole any way.

Gregory Newman

So are these people running these buybacks going through the form 4473 government check? Otherwise it is an illegal sale.

Wayne Clark

That’s a very good point Gregory. But they’ll say, it only applies to the consumers, not the government. Double standards anyone?

Tionico

No, no doubl standard. Its well known that some pigs are more equal than others.

I think it would be great if this clown shows up at the charade and is actually in control of one or more firearms, and someone calls him out or busts him for unlawful possession due to his restraining order.

Mike

Since you can make a shotgun for about $20;from Home Depot parts, gun owners should just start showing up trading in their homemade guns. Even if you are not a gun owner, collect a hundred bucks on a twenty dollar investment is a good return on your investment.

Jeffersonian

Guy did exactly that and raised enough money to buy a brand-new AR:


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