An I-Team investigation finds some of the weapons taken off the streets during Chicago Police Department firearm turn-in events are very old, rusty and damaged. Others are fakes. But, those trying to stop Chicago violence insist every gun removed from circulation makes the city safer…
CPD hands out $100 gift cards for firearms and $10 gift cards for replicas ditched at these events. According to turn-in records obtained by the I-Team, in 2021 CPD held four official gun turn-in events. They gave out 475 $100 gift cards for collected firearms and 116 $10 cards for replicas, totaling $48,660. The previous year, 2020, CPD held five official gun turn-in events, handing out 625 $100 gift cards for firearms collected and 122 $10 for replicas, totaling $63,720 in gift cards.
I-Team analysis found that an increasing percentage of fakes are being turned in at these events. Sixteen percent of the gift cards in 2020 were for replicas. That jumped to 20% in 2021.
“Criminals are the least likely folks who are going to be turning the guns in,” said James Sobol, Associate Professor, SUNY Buffalo State
Records obtained through FOIA show some of the weapons turned in are very old. They include a “flintlock pocket pistol” that was “popular in BRITAIN during the 18th century,” an “early 1900s” Belgian revolver, and several decades-old shotguns and rifles marked as having “heavy rust.” They also turned up a toy gun, made to look like a civil war-era revolver.
Criminal justice professor James Sobol has studied gun turn-in programs across the country. He said his research shows the programs don’t have a significant impact on reducing crime.
“Are these programs more public relations than public safety?” I-Team Report Chuck Goudie asked.
“The gun buyback again, sounds good. Its impact on crime, probably negligible,” Sobol answered.
— Chuck Gowdie et al. in Gift cards for guns: What the Chicago Police Department gets from firearm turn-ins