The Evanston, Illinois Police Department held a gun turn-in on Saturday, offering $100 for any gun dropped off, no questions asked. People turning in guns had to identify themselves as being from a limited geographical area. They had to be residents of Skokie, Evanston, or the North side of Chicago. [ED: We have no idea why Evanston would make that a requirement]
It’s interesting to note that ID has to be used to turn in guns to the police, but is forbidden as a requirement to cast a vote. The requirement for I.D. was no doubt due to Second Amendment entrepreneurs who use these events to dump old, cheap, guns.
Advertisements for the event in the affluent Chicago suburb said there would be no arrests; it was an amnesty event.
The guns turned in were supposed to be functional. Some amount, to be determined at the gun turn in, would be paid for ammunition and magazines. A total of 32 firearms were turned in for $100 each; six long guns, and 26 handguns.
32 guns taken in today at EPD Gun Buyback pic.twitter.com/QNFKOeMxZ8
— Evanston, IL Police (@EvanstonPD) June 9, 2018
EVANSTON, IL — Police announced 32 guns were brought in to a gun buyback event Saturday at Christ Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Evanston. The buyback brought in 26 handguns and six long guns at $100 apiece. The unwanted firearms are not longer at risk of misuse or entering the criminal market, police said.
Police thanked all the citizens who turned in their guns and said community cooperation made the event a success. The $3,200 in cash that funded the event was provided by an anonymous donor. The buyback was organized by the Evanston P.D.’s Problem Solving Team, according to a release.
The long guns included a couple of collectible items. There appears to be a WWII M1 carbine. Carbines, if they are original, command a good price. Even aftermarket carbines are worth hundreds of dollars. A Winchester Model 1907 is just above the carbine. They were chambered for the .351 Winchester round, which is expensive and difficult to come by. The rifles go for about $600-$900.
One intriguing turn in looks like a Webley top break that was nickel plated, with a 2-inch barrel. There are a three other older top break revolvers, along with a North American Arms mini revolver.
There was one shotgun with a sawed off barrel, wrapped in something like duct tape in the pile. Those generally require an NFA tax stamp for legal ownership.
It’s unlikely that any of these firearms have been used in the commission of a crime. Even leftist academics agree that turn-ins do little to deter “gun violence.”
From Freakonomics
When it comes to gun buybacks, both the theory and the data could not be clearer in showing that they don’t work. The only guns that get turned in are ones that people put little value on anyway. There is no impact on crime. On the positive side, the “cash for clunkers” program is more attractive than the gun buyback program because, as long as they are being driven, old cars pollute, whereas old guns just sit there.
A variety of academic studies are in agreement that gun “buybacks” do not reduce crime and that police resources used for them could be better spent elsewhere.
The major purpose of these events is for their PR and propaganda value: guns are bad, turn them in to the police.
©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.