This past Monday, San Francisco and Oakland residents turned in their guns to policy in a buy back program. Every volunteer who returned a gun was $200 richer walking away. Only problem? Not all criminals volunteered so quickly to turn in their guns. All reports from the scene quote people who were highly unlikely to use their firearms for criminal activity in the first place. So how did that buy back program work for stopping gun-related criminal activities?
News this week from the area:
- On Tuesday, masked gunmen held up a busy Walmart in San Leandro with guns.
- On Wednesday, police investigated a case in which a Marine recruiter was shot at while driving in Cupertino.
- A 62-year-old man who allegedly fired a BB gun at two pedestrians in Albany was arrested Wednesday morning after a seven-hour standoff.
- A man visiting from Arkansas was shot and killed Thursday in Hayward.
- Family mourn Oakland grandmother shot on her way home from a store on Thursday, apparently caught in a gun battle from the other side of the street.
And lastly, “Alameda County D.A. calls Oakland crime “out of control”.
I’m all for a gun buy back program if individuals want to turn in their guns. It is not the solution for out of control crime and dealing with criminals. Tougher sentences on thugs is a start because they will never comply with gun control laws.
And if I lived in an area with “out of control” crime, I certainly wouldn’t be participating in a gun buy back program. I’d be more concerned about protecting my self and my home than receiving a measly $200.
DCG
