MD:Cheap Gun Opportunity in Baltimore City, 26 July, 2014 Turn In (buy back)

Long Guns Turned In at Phoenix event in May, 2013

There will be a gun turn in event on 26 July, 2014 in Baltimore City, Maryland.  While these events are commonly labeled with the propaganda term "buyback" the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them.

The location for the event will be at the New All Saints Catholic Church in the 4400 block of Liberty Heights Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The event offers a $100 gift card for turning in guns.   From wbaltv.com:

get a $100 gift card to ShopRite. Officials said no questions will be asked upon the exchange.

These events offer Second Amendment activists the potential for picking up some firearms for reasonable prices.  The gift cards offered for firearms generally undervalue a significant number of the firearms turned in.


At an event at the end of 2012, 460 guns were turned in.   At the last event, none of them were recorded as being stolen.

 Howard County police granted the I-Team access to the ballistics testing that happened after a 2013 collection in that county. None of the weapons that were test-fired came up as stolen, Weiner reported, and it's believed none of the turned-in weapons were ever used in a crime.

The potential for problems with stolen firearms is discussed in this article linked to below.  The risk seems exceptionally small.

What is the Legal Risk of Buying a Gun at a Turn In (buy back)?

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 of long guns that are not "regulated" appear to be legal in Maryland.  Here is a link to the state list of regulated long arms.  Pistols are regulated.   I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on the Internets, so it would be wise to check out the laws for yourself.   Residents of Maryland would do well to learn them in any case.   Here is one source:

What are the Gun Laws in Maryland?

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

First hand accounts of this turn-in would be appreciated, as would any pictures.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch