Long Guns Recently Turned In at Phoenix event in May, 2013
There will be three gun turn in events on 22 August, 2013 in Brevard County, Florida. While these events are commonly labeled with the propaganda term "buyback" the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them.
One location for the event will be in Palm Bay at Space Coast Harley, 1440 Sportsman Lane. The second event location will be in Cocoa at the east side of the parking lot of Byrd Plaza, 801 Dixon Blvd. The third location will be in Titusville at the Sears Town Mall parking lot on the east side, 3550 S. Washington Ave.
Odd hours have been chosen for these events, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. As this event is being paid for from a source of questionable legality, forfeiture money, this may offer a way to turn some forfeiture funds into overtime for police.
Another interesting limitation is that they will only allow two gift cards per vehicle. People often bring several firearms in one vehicle.
These events offer Second Amendment activists the potential for picking up some firearms for reasonable prices. The gift cards offered for firearms are only valued at $50. Any working firearm is worth more than that. The event organizers are following "Phoenix rules" in that they are requireing the firearms to be unloaded and in a vehicle in order to be turned in. This presents some problems for those who wish to offer cash for firearms. You can go to the Phoenix turn in event link to see how people handled it there.
People are supposed to be able to turn in firearms "no questions asked". Police usually check firearms to determine if they are stolen, but no statement to that effect has been found for this event.
These communities have a history of collecting a fair number of guns. Palm Bay collected 133 last year, and Cocoa 230. This will be the first year for Titusville to participate.
Across the country, communities, police departments and churches are sponsoring gun turn-ins to get "guns off the street". At many of these events, private buyers are showing up, offering cash for the more valuable guns. These private additions to the public turn-in are effective, no doubt, in getting more guns off the street, because they add to the resources that are available to those who want to get rid of guns for something of value, be it a grocery card or a number of twenty dollar bills.
You can help make the turn-in in your area more effective by standing on the curb with your "Cash for Guns" sign, or at a folding table, willing to offer more than the gift card for firearms that are more valuable. It would be best if numerous private parties were available, as more good guns could then be transferred into responsible hands.
This action serves many useful purposes. It stretches the turn-in budget so that more guns can be taken off the street. It helps keep fearful widows from being defrauded of most of the market value of the gun they are turning in. It prevents valuable assets from being destroyed by bureaucratic inflexibility. It is a win-win-win situation.
It also dispels the pernicious message that guns are bad and should be destroyed.
Private sales are legal in Florida. Open carry of firearms is generally not legal, but it appears that brief displays of a firearm are accepted, if the display is not in a threatening manner.
Link to article with numerous examples of private sales at gun turn in events
Link to most recent article about private buyers at Detroit event
Link to Phoenix Article: pictures of private buyers
©2013 by Dean Weingarten Permission to share granted as long as this notice is included.
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