Gun Buy-Back Programs are symbolic efforts intended to garner public acceptance and often used as a viable approach to reducing crimes that involve illegal guns.
Why do I call it symbolic and not substantive?
“Criminologists have found that the buybacks have no impact on gun crime or gun-related injuries and that the programs do not target the guns most likely to be used in violence.” Frequently quoted.
If the criminologist’s empirical data is accurate, we cannot refer to a gun bay-back program as a substantive effort to reduce gun related crimes - the desired substantive outcome.
The National Research Council found that the 1994 – 2004 Federal Assault Weapons Ban didn’t produce ANY measurable reduction in illegal gun activity. Why, it too was not targeting the real problem of illegal guns.
Why is public acceptance important?
Gun bay-back initiatives seek community-based involvement and philosophical buy-in. Despite the absent of a track record of gun-violence reduction, gun buyback programs have brought a circle of people together holding hands with a “No More Gun Crimes” banner in the circle’s center. Any positive based effort, even a misguided one, which brings a diversity of community groups and lawmakers together, has its inherent benefits.
However, where are the banners with tangible and measurable solutions?
Consider the 1896 New York Times article written by Andrew D. White, former President of Cornell University, which was titled “Crime Goes Unpunished – The Problem of High Crime in the United States.” Also the 2013 New York Times Article that references the 2010 DOJ study which revealed that nearly 80,000 Americans were denied guns because they lied about their criminal histories. Yet only 44 of those people were charged with a crime.
The gun crime solutions are multitudinous and are hiding in plain sight. Namely, the enforcement of the myriad of existing laws that punish violent crimes, including crimes that involve illegal firearms.
There are tons of questions, but consider two for now:
1) Are individuals turning in guns for $$$.$$ likely to be criminals surrendering their weapons?
2) What percentage of the guns recovered in buyback programs are connected to or helped solve crimes?
Is a concentrated effort to improve effective enforcement of laws simply not an option? Is lack of resources part of the reason for incidents of failure to enforce statutory penalties? Is it a training or equipment issue? Are there too few detectives or other investigatory personnel?
A first step towards reducing illegal gun offenses is enforcement of existing statutory penalties from arrest, to prosecution, to conviction, to sentencing, which can include a rehabilitative component, where appropriate.
Competent and carefully scribed laws that lack enforcement are viewed by criminals and lawful citizens as the proverbial "PAPER TIGER" - not a deterrent.
Recent Comments