By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- In the photo above, there are a couple of what appear to be nice Smith & Wesson revolvers worth hundreds of dollars each.
There was a gun turn in event held at Jacksonville, Florida on the 28th of June. 693 guns were turned in for the low, low price of $50 each. The event was also known by the propaganda term “buy back“.
There were no guns “bought back” because the people buying the guns had never owned them before.
Last year, it was noted that there were a large, active group of private buyers, including a contingent from Florida Carry. Just a year ago jaxonville.com reported:
It was no easy feat getting to the door of the lodge. An a energetic group of private gun buyers and representatives of Florida Carry, a gun rights organization, stood at the exit to the parking lot, nearly blocking it, and calling out those on their way across the street to stop and talk to them instead.
Florida law allows for the sale of firearms person to person.
One commenter thanked the Jacksonville Sheriff Officer for promoting an informal gun show at the last event:
The “gun buyback” was awesome!!! Thanks to JSO, Dalores Weaver and the Chamber of Commerce an informal gun bizarre was set up on the streets of Jacksonville, FL. While JSO bought the unworkable crap guns the good stuff was purchased by the more than 40 buyers there offering more money than JSO. Hundreds of guns were sold to private citizens.
The best part was NO BACKGROUND CHECKS were done and no questions asked. The officers were very helpful directing potential sellers to the buyers paying more $$. The officers working the event said gun buybacks are stupid and do nothing to stop crime. This is a pr stunt for the sheriff and mayor.
The only coverage of private buyers at last Saturday’s event comes from this comment that I found buried deep in the Jacksonville Sheriff Office Facebook page:
William Blodgetti wish i could have gotten my hands on a single shot shotgun but so many people was out with sighs wanting to get there hands on cheep guns it would have been pointless
No doubt, a fair number of guns turned in were broken, missing parts, or otherwise not functional. In my experience of attending these events, that is a minority of the guns turned in.
The majority are functional guns that were inherited by someone who does not understand them or want them. Any working gun in America is worth more than $50. A great many broken guns are worth more than $50 for parts.
Only guns that are suspected of being used in a crime will have ballistic testing done on them.
The Jacksonville Sheriff Office has stated that it will not destroy the “collectible” guns. It would be nice to think that they would turn the valuable guns and parts into dollars that would be used for good purposes, as has happened in other states.
Those that are considered collectables, such as antiques, are not destroyed, Rutherford said. He said others are cut apart and melted.
If anyone has pictures or reports of the private buyers at this event, please contact me.
c2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included. Link to Gun Watch
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.