CT: Gun "Buy Back", Claims Classics, Antiques, Homemade, and Modern

On  March 18, 2017, Hartford, Connecticut held a gun "buy back". The guns are turned in for various premiums, usually gift cards. In Hartford, the amounts varied. The "buy back" had 26 guns turned in to the police. From the courant.com:

Working firearms can be exchanged for Stop & Shop gift cards in varying denominations: $200 for assault rifles, $100 for pistols and revolvers; and $25 for shotguns or rifles.

The $100 for the homemade derringer may have been a good deal for the seller. $25 for the classic Marlin 39A lever action .22, or for the antique pump shotgun, is robbery, probably of an unsuspecting widow.

The photograph isn't as clear as I would like. The shotgun may be a rare Winchester model 93. The Model 39A is considered a classic and highly valued sporting rifle. They bring several hundred dollars in used condition.

This is the same police department that collected the rare STG 44 WWII trophy bringback in 2012. It was valued at about $30,000.

In the middle row, on the right, you can see the homemade derringer. It could be a .22 or a .25.  The circular plate looks like a handmade swinging breech-block.

Perhaps a sharp eyed reader can identify the antique revolver in the center of the image. The humpbacked grip and spur trigger are good clues. It reminds me of a Liberty pocket revolver, if they were made with a bird's head grip.  It is almost certainly a .22.

The "Assault rifle" or, more accurately, modern sporting rifle, is an interesting variant of the AK, with a dust cover mounted rear sight. It is worth several hundred dollars.

The Courant had this quote from David Shapiro, vice chairman of surgery for St . Francis Hospital and Medical Center, trying to justify this misuse of police resources.  The hospital contributed to the "buyback" scheme.

"The challenge with gun buybacks is that there's very little evidence that they reduce crimes. But, then again, there's little evidence that any gun violence program does what it's supposed to do," Shapiro said. "As public health providers, our job is to go to any avenue we can to reduce the risk of injury, and this is one that benefits everyone who's involved."

David, there is this conceptual concept called the cost to benefit ratio. When costs are high, and benefits are low, the activity is often counterproductive.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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