Opportunity at Gun “Buyback” in Toledo, Ohio

Location: Frederick Douglass Center, 1001 Indiana Ave.

Date: Saturday, September 10

Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Receive a gas gift card for every firearm turned in, no questions asked. Gift card quantities are limited and subject to availability. Functioning and nonfunctioning firearms will be accepted at the event.

All firearms must be unloaded.

$100 Handguns

$200 Shotguns and rifles

$250 Automatic

$0    Ammunition

At 13abc.com, the announcement mentioned “residency.” There is no indication how the residency would be determined, as this is a “no questions asked” turn-in event. From 13abc.com:

According to the City, the firearms can be either functioning or nonfunctioning but they must be unloaded when turned in to law enforcement. There are also no limits on the number of firearms that a resident can drop off.

The city website does not say anything about a residency requirement.  It is likely an error of an editor at 13abc.

What the police may do is not clear.

Ohio is a Constitutional carry/permitless carry state. The law went into effect on June 22, 2022, less than two months ago. A conversation with Toledo police Sergeant Mack revealed the police intend to prevent people from “loitering” in the parking lot of Frederic Douglas Center. People who have a firearm or firearms to turn in will be able to enter in a vehicle or on foot.

A police officer will inspect the firearm(s) and accompany the person inside the center, where they will receive the appropriate gift cards.

The incentives for rifles/shotguns are generous. Many rifles and shotguns can be purchased new for less than $200.  Ammoland recently had a daily deal for pump shotguns at $124.99.

The offer almost seems created for slamfire shotguns which can be made for about $15-$30 worth of materials, at home, in an hour or two. There are many places on the Internet which show how to make these simple and effective shotguns, which have been used all over the world, even during warfare in WWII in the Philippines.

How much money will be available for gift cards is uncertain.  The number listed for information revealed a pleasant woman who said they did not have any more information. She directed me to the police and the Prosecutor’s office.

The police were helpful with details about the operation, but did not know anything about funding.

A call back from the prosecutor’s office said they did not know how much money would be available, but it would be from forfeiture money, not from tax dollars. They estimated the amount would be between a thousand dollars and one hundred thousand dollars, maybe in the twenty five thousand dollar area.

If anyone expects to get actual gift cards, they should show up early. Events such as these often run out of gift cards.

There has not been a similar event in Toledo, Ohio, for a while. There are likely to be quite a few old hunting guns, owned by widows or grandchildren who inherited them, and who would like to trade them for gift cards. It is possible some will be worth much more than $200, and many old and broken singleshot shotguns, will be worth less.

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 retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.