There’s a “gun buyback” going on in Minneapolis and Saint Paul even as we speak:
Shiloh Temple International Ministries 1201 W. Broadway Mpls., MN.
Contact: Deseria G. [phone number redacted]
Gospel Temple COGIC 247 Grotto Street N. St. Paul, MN.
Danny G. @ [phone number redacted]You will receive $50.00 gift card for revolvers.
You will receive $100.00 gift card for semi-automatics.
NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!
I took the liberty of calling Deseria G, the contact in Minneapolis. After identifying myself as Mitch Berg, with the Northern Alliance Radio Network and a howling-mad conservative, I asked first where the money came from.
“Bake sales, events at basketball games and community events”, she started. “Donations from the Minneapolis Police Department…”
Huh? The perennially cash-strapped MPD is ponying up for a program as demonstrably useless as a gun buy-back?
“…and from [an inner city healthcare non-profit] – because this is a public health issue…”
I didn’t feel like arguing; she seemed like a pleasant enough person, highly motivated for her mission.
But I had to ask: “So it’s your position that these gun buy-backs actually reduce crime?”
“It’s aimed mainly at our youth, the ones who are doing the crimes”.
I thought about following up “do you honestly think the gang-bangers are going to trade their gats in for gift certificates? Do you think you’re going to get anything other than guns cleaned out of attics, non-functioning relics, and pieces stolen from peoples’ parents or neighbors?”, but I wished her a good day and thanked her for her time.
Andrew Rothman writes, by the way, to note that the only reason the buy-back is legal is the “Gun-Show Loophole”.
But that brought on another question; the publicity flyer notes the rules for the exchange:
Rules of engagement:
A. gun must be transported to either site in clear see threw freezer Bag.
B. gun must be separated from ammunition.
C. flyer should be on your person or in freezer bag. That is your pass to transport gun to site.
Erm, I’m wondering if the cops are strictly down with that? A flyer gives people a de facto carry permit for twelve hours? Seems dodgy to me, but then what do I know?
C’moooon, McDonald!
What’s the deal with the price difference? I guess a .44 Mag revolver is a less likely to kill a person than a .22LR semi-auto so it’s not as valuable. Or are they saying it’s socially acceptable if only 6 people get shot with a revolver instead of 10 people with a semi-auto.
I’ve got a spare Nagant 1895 revolver that I hardly ever shoot and hard to get ammo for, but it’s still worth more than $50 to me.
Although these gun turn-ins programs usually yield nothing but junk, it would be nice to set up a sign a few feet down the road an offer a $10 cash premium. Might catch a gem like some old lady turning in her husband’s $1200 Luger war trophy.
A stand for outbidding people on selected “turnin” guns?
Hmmm.
Hmmmmmm.
Lessee…..imagine I’m a criminal looking to unload a crime weapon without getting caught…..and I can get $50 or $100 out of the deal if I handle it with gloves and clean off the prints with some rubbing alcohol and kleenex…..
….now why is it that city police departments have trouble figuring out violent crimes there?
I’ll drive up to Minneapolis if you’re in. Maybe broadcast your radio program live and we can then discuss the gems we find.
At the rate they’re buying firearms, they may be in violation of Federal law as the buyback could be construed as a business with no FFL.
I think we could acquire as many as we want, as long as we don’t engage in the business of reselling them.
A “see threw freezer bag”? Really? Sweet chocolate Mohammed, if these people spent as much time really focusing on education instead of feel-good BS like this they might actually reduce crime.
A month or so ago, some city in California was having a “gun buyback” and it was on the nightly news.
Well, they had a huge 5′ x 5′ x 5′ pallet sized carboard box with about a dozen or so handguns. There was another box of equal size filled to the top with various long guns. You know, the guns ganstas use, Marlin 22 bolt actions, Remington 870’s.
It was a complete joke.
How much do you think I could get for my old Daisy?
Hmmm, I got a SKS I wore out the barrel on….probably cost me a few hundred to get it in working order again.
see threw freezer Bag
Same proofreader who misspelled “buses” on the Hennepin Av signs, I guess.
A flyer gives people a de facto carry permit for twelve hours?
It’s not really a carry permit, unless you’re in the habit of carrying an unloaded gun.
DiscordianStooj said:
“It’s not really a carry permit, unless you’re in the habit of carrying an unloaded gun”
So, are you saying that’s OK then?
I caught Deseria G interview on Chris Baker show on Friday morning as I was driving in to work. She could not (or would not) answer a single pertinent question other then recite her chanting points – make streets safe, take guns away from gangsters, keep guns away from children, etc ad nauseum.
She also divulged other details of this endeavor:
o – All collected guns will be destroyed. They have smelters lined up.
o – MPD will conduct ballistics tests on all collected guns, but then will do NOTHING and let guns be destroyed. Regardless whether they are implicated in a crime or not.
o – If a gun is found to be stolen, there will be no attempt made to return it to a rightful owner.
Whether Desiree knew what she was talking about, needless to say, Chris was not happy, especially about the last 2 points. He was going to talk to Ron R later in the program about the legality of this whole thing – destruction of evidence, interfering with investigation, destruction of stolen private property, etc. But by then I arrived at work and did not catch it.
Actually a see through bag could be considered a legal case. I don’t have any idea how to get an 870 into a freezer bag but if you could it would be legal.
I was at a Minneapolis Public Library a few weeks ago and noticed their sign. Hennepin County Bans DANGEROUS WEAPONS. Fortunately the .38 spcl is completely safe.
the legality of this whole thing
The law is what Minneapolis’ city government says it is!
They have smelters lined up.
OH MY GOD! How much eevil carbon will that spew into mother Gaia’s fragile atmosphere? Global Warming!!! Those guns should be buried. Preferably in a sanitary disposal site!
I propose they sell all the collected pistols to me, I’ll even pay $10 markup per unit.
I pledge to DONATE every one, free, to battered women who complete JoelR’s course.
Bet you a crisp new dollar this outfit wouldn’t take me up on it. Better to leave proven victims defenseless.
I hope somebody call’s nate’s nonbluff, and I’ll up the ante just a bit. For seven years, now, I’ve done free training for people who have gotten emergency permits; I may have been the first instructor to offer that*.
I’ll sweeten the pot — any referral from any battered women’s shelter counts, as long as the referred person is going to apply for an emergency permit. (In the interest of fairness, I’d also offer the same for referrals from battered men’s shelter. But there aren’t any.)
_________________
* And, by “free,” I mean “the training materials, my labor, the targets, range time, and ammo won’t cost you a penny.” There’s some other instructors who, alas, are unclear on the concept of “free.”
My idle thought, by the way, was that it would have been kinda neat to take a junk gun, splatter it with brains and blood (from a cow, silly), and turn it in. Be interesting to see what they did with it.
Brains and blood (from cow/pig), and maybe stick a chunk of dry ice in the barrel/chamber before you get out of the car…
“Bake sales, events at basketball games and community events”, she started. “Donations from the Minneapolis Police Department…”
“…and from [an inner city healthcare non-profit] – because this is a public health issue…”
What, no federal “stimulus” money? How did this not get included in the “stimulus” bill, I mean it spends money on something of dubious value but makes some people feel good so you’d think it would be right at the top of the list.
I pledge to DONATE every one, free, to battered women who complete JoelR’s course.
Bet you a crisp new dollar this outfit wouldn’t take me up on it. Better to leave proven victims defenseless.
That may be closer to the truth than you realize. The Strib reported that most of the people who turned in guns were the middle aged and the elderly who are more likely to be the victim of a crime than a perpetrator. I wonder how many are or were later victimized by gang members who attended to take note of who was giving up their guns.