Here’s some news we Real Americans can use:

A Downstate [Illinois] pro-gun group says it turned payouts from Chicago’s firearm buyback program last weekend into a fund-raiser for a youth summer camp — a National Rifle Association shooting camp, that is.

The city collected 5,500 guns last Saturday in the annual buyback. The city gave out $100 MasterCard gift cards for each gun and $10 cards for BB guns and replicas.

Among the guns turned in under the “no questions asked” policy, beyond any doubt, were many used in street crimes that will now, no doubt, be that much harder to investigate.  Thanks, orcs!

But the good guys got their licks in:

Sixty of the guns and several BB guns were turned in by the Champaign-based Guns Save Life. In return, the group received $6,240 in gift cards, said John Boch, president of the group…Most of the money will go toward buying ammunition for an NRA youth camp in Bloomington. The rest will pay for four bolt-action rifles that will be given away to campers.

Unlike many of the guns in Chicago, the group’s guns were mostly an effort in metal recycling – with an edge (emphasis added):

“This was rusty, non-firing junk that we turned in,” Boch said. “We are redirecting funds from people who would work against the private ownership of firearms to help introduce the next generation to shooting safely and responsibly.”

Proof that Chicago hates the law-abiding gun owner more than the criminals (who, let’s be honest, are at some level a Democrat constituency)?

Despite the no-questions-asked policy of the buyback, police officials asked Guns Save Life members where they got their guns, Boch said. Still, the police officials allowed them to turn in their guns, he said.

All in all, this is brilliant stuff; robbing (legally) from the orcs to pay for freedom:

Todd Vandermyde, the NRA’s chief lobbyist in Illinois, said Guns Save Life turned the tables on Chicago.

“I think it’s a very good example of the resourcefulness of the pro-gun side to take the initiative to turn something used by anti-gunners into a positive,” he said.

Vandermyde said he’s heard that gun-shop owners also have used the annual gun turn-in for profit.

Vandermyde said he was told one suburban gun dealer imported junk rifles for less than $50 each and received $100 gift cards for each of them.

“It’s comical,” he said.

And for this, I salute them.

The big, dumb, orc government of Chicago is, naturally, not amused:

But the city doesn’t think so.

“We host the gun turn-in event on an annual basis to encourage residents to turn in their guns so we can take guns off the street and it’s unfortunate that this group is abusing a program intended to increase the safety of our communities,” said Melissa Stratton, a police spokeswoman.

Boch said he doesn’t think the crooks who have pushed the number of Chicago’s homicides to 38 percent over last year’s total are the ones handing over their weapons.

Well, not yet anyway.

And so I salute you, Guns Save Life.  As should all Real Americans.

I got this via email from a regular reader, who writes…:

Next time there is a gun buyback in town, I’m selling them the $100 Rossi combination 20ga/22lr that I bought at Dicks for a starter gun for my son. Worst gun in the world. I would never let another kid grow up shooting that piece of shit.

Let the orcs pay for your mistakes.

It’s freaking brilliant. I have an ancient, rusted, .22 single shot with a missing bolt in the basement that might be a contender for the same.

Bring on the buyback, orcs!