Gun Amnesty

I’ve briefly mentioned how I feel about gun buyback programs. For those of you that missed the first go around, I think they’re stupid, a waste of money, and show a reckless disregard for history and personal property. However, at least at the gun buyback in Kentucky I blogged about before, the police are checking guns for links to criminal activity.

You know what cheeses me off worse than gun buybacks? Gun Amnesty.

It’s a chance to hand over unwanted weapons, even if you don’t legally own them. Police say you will not be charged for handing in a gun, but they are paying you to do so.

Got a gun you used in a violent crime, and don’t want the evidence associated with you? Gun Amnesty buyback! Not only will ditch a piece of critical evidence, you’ll get a nice chunk of change to go with it. Or maybe you stole a bunch of guns, but are worried about trying to sell them on the street. No problem, the police will buy them from you, no questions asked!

This is the kind of “cart before the horse” mindset that is extremely prevalent amongst the anti-gun community. In their crusade to “end gun crime”, they focus on the “gun” part and not on the “crime”. Unfortunately, “getting guns off the streets” doesn’t do anything to the actual issue of crime.

The gun buyback in Kentucky had officers screening guns for connection to crime. That basically guaranteed that the only guns turned in would be legally owned firearms. They destroyed history, which is pretty bad. In Michigan, by extending “amnesty” to people who turn in guns, they’re not just destroying history, they’re very likely destroying evidence.