Trade a gun, get a sandwich. Learn to hunt, eat for life.

[EyeH8†]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6414376


Anyone see this as being completely silly?


I am not a member of NRA by any means but it doesn't look like they are getting the real weapons off the street that can cause damage, in those photos it looks like pappy's old 12 gauge.

[megadan]

Sounds totally reasonable to me.

Not to start a flame war, but I dare say helping people buy food AND getting weapons off the streets is two big steps in the right direction.

[Jeff Martinez]

While programs like these have had large turnouts in some areas, it is unlikely that any of the guns used by gangbangers and other thugs have been taken out of circulation. I would shocked if many of these losers folks heard about the trade-in program and then decided "wow, my kids could use some new clothes. I'm going to turn in my Glock and get a Target gift card." Most of the guns that get turned are guns that have been collecting dust over the years anyway. Even if I needed money so badly that I would consider getting rid of one of my guns to get it, I'd get a far better price from a dealer or at a gun show.

IMHO, YMMV, etc...

[WalterBush]

Originally Posted by EyeH8†

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6414376


Anyone see this as being completely silly?


I am not a member of NRA by any means but it doesn't look like they are getting the real weapons off the street that can cause damage, in those photos it looks like pappy's old 12 gauge.

I lived in NorCal for 8 years, and people there have an entirely different attitude towards guns than the rest of the country. I wouldn't turn in my gun, but I can see why they would.

Just one of many reasons I'm happy to live in Arizona; in California there's a genuine fear but little respect for firearms. If it's actually cut crime, then great.

Personally, I'd rather teach proper usage and respect, and have gang-bangers afraid of ordinary citizens' guns, but I don't live there anymore

[Vince S.]

I think the purpose of this program is to allow for people who illegally own guns (gang members, etc.) to turn them in without getting in trouble and getting food in the process--being that most of these people are poor, it seems logical.

However, as somebody mentioned above, because of the hard economic times, you have legal gun owners handing over legally purchased and even family heirloom firearms so they can feed and clothe their families. It's pretty sad.

[Armueller2001]

I was reading on another forum about how a guy took 20 rusty non-functional junk guns to one of these and made off like a bandit. He then donated the money to a youth shooting sports camp. That was back when they gave out Visa debit cards instead of gift cards to businesses though.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by EyeH8†

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6414376


Anyone see this as being completely silly?


I am not a member of NRA by any means but it doesn't look like they are getting the real weapons off the street that can cause damage, in those photos it looks like pappy's old 12 gauge.

I see exactly one picture, with a shotgun and something, well, not so ancient. So what's the basis for your last statement?

As for hunting: They're in LA, what are they going to hunt--old tires?

[Jeff Martinez]

Originally Posted by Armueller2001

I was reading on another forum about how a guy took 20 rusty non-functional junk guns to one of these and made off like a bandit. He then donated the money to a youth shooting sports camp. That was back when they gave out Visa debit cards instead of gift cards to businesses though.

That's brilliant. I think the organizers of these programs have caught on. I know the one they recently hed here required that the gun be functional.

[Armueller2001]

"One man brought in a Soviet-era semiautomatic carbine."

Sad. He probably doesn't realize he could have sold it at a gun show or to a dealer for many times more than the $100 gift card he got.

[Pacman]

Originally Posted by GregC

I see exactly one picture, with a shotgun and something, well, not so ancient. So what's the basis for your last statement?

As for hunting: They're in LA, what are they going to hunt--old tires?

Who said anything about hunting? The second amendment is not about hunting.

[Armueller2001]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Who said anything about hunting? The second amendment is not about hunting.

Oh come on, Pacman, you don't NEED all those guns...

[Pacman]

You're right.




But I sure like having them - kinda like I like my freedom.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Who said anything about hunting? The second amendment is not about hunting.

I'm referring to the thread title.

[Pacman]

ah, got it.

[Pilgrim]

No one with an illegal firearm and bad intentions is going to turn it in. The firearms removed from public life are those which are sitting in closets or otherwise unused and unwanted. The only good thing about this approach is that many of the people who turn in firearms are probably totally ignorant about how to use them - which makes them the most dangerous gun owners of all. There is at least some merit to getting guns out of the hands of those who are ignorant of their use.

[Jeff Martinez]

Originally Posted by GregC

As for hunting: They're in LA, what are they going to hunt--old tires?

Last I checked, nobody hunts in the city where they live, or any other city. Hunters travel to rapidly dissappearing place referred to as "the outdoors". Even when I lived in Cheyenne, WY, I didn't know anyone who hunted in the city.

[Jeff Martinez]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Who said anything about hunting? The second amendment is not about hunting.

Exactly.

When the 2nd Amendment was written, hunting was so much a part of life that there was no need to address it in the constitution. Lawful ownership of firearms was/is vital to the security of the PEOPLE of a country.

[OtterOnBass]

In the photo there's a third gun - a pistol - on the left hand side. This is good. It's not a question of using these guns for hunting in Compton, as documented by NWA's album. Yes album, that things like 20 years old!!

The guns used in crimes come from somewhere. They won't come from these people anymore. It's a good thing - and it's voluntary.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

Last I checked, nobody hunts in the city where they live, or any other city. Hunters travel to rapidly dissappearing place referred to as "the outdoors". Even when I lived in Cheyenne, WY, I didn't know anyone who hunted in the city.

You're aware of how large and heavily populated the LA area is, right? The program is clearly aimed at poor folks in the city. They don't have easy access to hunting areas. How much hunting takes place outside of LA, anyway?

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

Exactly.

When the 2nd Amendment was written, hunting was so much a part of life that there was no need to address it in the constitution. Lawful ownership of firearms was/is vital to the security of the PEOPLE of a country.

No, not exactly. I was directly addressing the OP, who said nothing about protection. His thread title about teaching people to hunt instead of turning in their guns is very plain to see.

[thesteve]

I don't see a shotgun in that picture.