Gun Buyback Program Myths
Gun by back programs, started during World War 2 in which the military purchased thousands of qualifying shotguns, rifles, and sidearms for use by Civil Defense units and for training purposes. One of the largest buybacks in history was the 1996 Australian Buyback in which over 600,000 firearms were purchased by the government from its citizens. The huge number was a result of most types of firearms being banned in that county the same year, and thus made illegal. Since the assault weapons ban in the United States, many organizations and cities have had their own buy backs with the publicly stated purpose of reducing the number of unwanted firearms on the streets and thus cutting back on crime. These programs have gained momentum in the past decade with agencies offering as much as $200 in gift cards (often donated by local businesses) for each firearm turned in– no questions asked, with the harvested firearms being destroyed.
However overblown headlines, overpaying for junk firearms, and over-hyping the number of firearms bought in relation to those still available are all oft-under addressed.
See the rest at my column at Firearms Talk.com http://www.firearmstalk.com/entries/Gun-Buyback-Program-Myths.html
