You've probably heard by now about the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept brilliantly benevolent program to give gift cards in exchange for guns in cities like Compton and Lennox. In case you haven't, I'll let the Times give you the background:
The mean streets of L.A. might get a bit kinder under a police program that offers a little holiday spending spree for residents who turn in guns.
The Los Angeles County sheriff's station in Compton, in conjunction with the city of Compton, and other local organizations are hosting a firearm surrender program called "Gifts for Guns."
The unique program provides an opportunity for local families to surrender firearms anonymously at the sheriff's station in exchange for a $100 holiday gift card to Ralph's, Target or Best Buy. For assault weapons, $200 gift cards are being offered.
No questions are asked of those who participate.
Here's the video, but a few warnings:
1) This is probably NSFW. Sorry.
2) It's shaky, and it's a video of a video, I know. Sorry again.
3) Finally, after the 1:30 mark the video changes into some rant on 9/11 and Waco or something. Please ignore it. If I could find any other video of this I would.
The footage above looks like it was recorded with a video camera on a computer, I don't now why, but it explains the grainy/shakiness. The gifts for gun exchange is a yearly thing, but apparently this one is wildly successful—hopefully making make our streets a little safer. That might be a little bit of good news: that despite all of the economic trouble we're in, the individual's need for butter will always trump their want for guns.
Photo provided by Flickr user Barjack and used under a Creative Commons License
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A similar program was offered in Detroit a few years ago.
Apparently the offer spurred a sharp spike in break ins of local sporting goods stores after closing...you guessed it of course, the main things taken were pistols and rifles. Which were turned in, no questions asked, for (in their case) cash. (Serial numbers on the stolen weapons told the true tale.)
It's a wonderful thought...but beware the Rule of Untinended Consequences. Plus many of these people will just steal another firearm or buy the ones brought illegally up from Mexico once more.
Like so many other ideas designed to solve a problem... they are silly and only create new problems. Goverment administrators must be, universally, on a per capita basis, the densest, most intellectually challenged people on the planet.