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Wait Until You Hear the Clever Way Private Gun Buyers Invaded a Gun Buyback Program in Seattle

Jan. 28, 2013 2:21pm Jason Howerton

Private Buyers Spoil Seattle Gun Buyback Event by Offerring Cash for Firearms

Seattle Police officers log guns exchanged for gift cards under Interstate 5 in Seattle during a CIty of Seattle gun buy back program on Saturday, January 26, 2013. The city has collected donations totaling nearly $120,000 to pay for a series of gun buyback events. Participants have been asked to unload and secure their weapons in the trunk of their vehicle or in a locked container. Credit: AP

The Seattle Police Department held its first gun buyback event since the 1990s this weekend, offering people gift cards for their firearms. However, dozens of private buyers showed up in an effort to acquire the guns using the so-called gun show loophole, which allows guns to be sold without a background check.

Hundreds of people showed up Saturday morning to give their rifles and shotguns as well as semi-automatic rifles to police in exchange for gift cards worth $100 and $200 respectively, KING 5 reports. The police planned to destroy the guns and use them as rebar in local construction projects.

Meanwhile, a number of private buyers set up a makeshift gun show-style event and offered cold hard cash for guns and even lured customers with donuts.

“I pay cash, I don’t give Amazon gift cards,” one dealer told a gun seller.

“It’s a historical firearm, I would hate to see it get destroyed. I’ll give you $100 cash for it,” another buyer offered a gun owner.

Many held up signs that let gun owners know they would pay cash for unwanted firearms.

“I’d rather see it turned back into the gun community used to promote shooting sports,” one man told KING 5.

(KING 5)

Private buyer Mason Vranish reportedly purchased a rocket launcher from of a man who had come to exchange it for a gift card, but officers confiscated the weapon on the suspicion that it had been stolen from the U.S. military.

“Their reason was even though it was single time use item it is still military property concern that a soldier had stolen it from the base or whatever and it wasn’t theirs to own… so it somehow ended up in the civilian market illegally,” Vranish told KING 5.

(KING 5)

Seattle Police Sgt. Paul Gracy carries guns collected from people in a City of Seattle drive-thru gun exchange program under Interstate 5 in Seattle on Saturday, January 26, 2013. The city has collected donations totaling nearly $120,000 to pay for a series of gun buyback events. Participants have been asked to unload and secure their weapons in the trunk of their vehicle or in a locked container. Credit: AP

Seattle Police Chief John Diaz said he would “prefer” gun owners not sell their guns to private buyers at the gun buyback event.

“Some are looking at this as a money making operation,” he told KPLU-TV. “But I think that is very few of the people. Most people are here in the spirit of wanting to do something because of some of the tragedies that we’ve seen in our country and in our own city.”

The buyback program is funded by donations from Amazon of $30,000, the Seattle Police Foundation of $25,000 and local businesses of more than $118,000. In the first two hours of the event, police say they gave our $35,000 in gift cards for 160 guns.

In a separate gun buyback event, Mercer County officials say more than 2,500 weapons were turned in for cash during a two-day gun buyback program in Trenton, N.J.

The Trenton gun buyback surpassed one in Camden in December that netted more than 1,100 weapons.

Mercer County residents received $25 to $250 for each firearm depending on type, condition and legality.

About $100,000 was budgeted but because of the huge turnout, the amount spent is expected to be well over double that. Some participants were given vouchers after money ran out Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

(H/T: Raw Story)

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (335)

heidihoneighbor
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:41pm
35,000 for 160 guns?!
Sounds like the police officers nerd math classes and or they themselves pocketed a good chunk of the money.

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NinjaJuice
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:35pm
Only idiots and fools that would get rid of something that can protect themselves from potential harm and relying on others to do so.

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bauer4567
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:34pm
So if I read this correctly, Amazon is supporting these gun buy back programs?

Glenn… The Blaze… Mercury One… I recently bought Agenda 21 through Amazon to put on my Kindle. I use Amazon for almost all of my online shopping and have an Amazon Prime membership. I sure hope someone looks into this.

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- DougHuffman
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:43pm
  Will GBeck pull his books from AmaXon?
  
  Report this comment
OniKaze
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:30pm
I like that people found a way to under-skirt “the man” this time…

I am sorry people, but the plain and simple truth is that guns ARE NOT dangerous. A gun is no more dangerous than a rock or stick unless it is loaded with ammo, and placed in the hands of someone who is willing to kill another person (and last I checked, we are not trying to ban rocks and sticks). My mother told me that she didn’t like my Walther Pistol, until I sat and explained to her, that my pistol is completely safe, and of no danger to anyone, unless I decide to point it at someone and pull the trigger. Unless I do that, it is not dangerous in the slightest…

Over time, she understood what I was saying, without the intent to hurt someone else, a gun will not just shoot people on its own at random…

I can only wish that someday liberals will wake up and realize that we do not have a “gun problem” here in the U.S.. We have a “personal accountability” problem…

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wmcritter
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:23pm
The ban will be passed. Then an event will be staged where a “crazy Republican racist murders an innocent cop just doing his job by collecting illegal weapons”. Then the military will mobilize and it’s over. I used to think Americans were brave enough to stand up to tyranny like this, but I’ve never seen any proof of it. The army and the LEOs will follow orders and round up the guns and murder any American that does not comply. Peer pressure works in high school and it works in the real world too. When the media screams 24/7 that Republicans murdered an innocent cop and must be disarmed and rounded up for “public safety”, the military and police will go along with it. You think every German was an insane Jew-hating Nazi? Of course not, most were just normal folks like us that just caved in to peer pressure and propaganda and just followed orders. And so America will fall. Because just going along and following orders is easier than standing up for what is right. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”

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- Efrem
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 7:35pm
  I’m sure you’re right, but I hope you’re wrong.
  
  Report this comment
- r3dbull4dd1kt
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:38pm
  really? is that why HUNDREDS of Sheriffs in dozens of states have said they WON’T enforce an AWB? Military WILL NOT comply, since most of the soldiers are gun owners themselves; and quite a few aren’t being paid on time by the very Government encroaching on their freedoms…
  
  I’m sorry to be so forward, but think about it a little bit–the Kenyan-In-Chief signed the UN Arms Treaty his second day in office because he knows the US Military and LEO communities will tell him where to go, how to get there and draw him a map–the pansies in the Blue Helmets are the ones with a hard_on to come disarm us…
  
  Report this comment
American_Made
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:19pm
I am a little concerned about Amazon’s involvement. I think i will send them an email from my Amazon account. I think I will tell them if they do not believe in the second amendment they do not need any more of my money.

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Longbow
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:11pm
Looks like a bunch-o-junk to me, mostly old sporting guns in poor condition. Folks are taking advantage of the buyback by selling junk weapons, many of which probably don’t even function. I didn’t see any ‘assault’ rifles or high-cap pistols being turned in. $100 to $200 is a joke, even cheap semi-autos sell for several times that, and the good stuff $1k or more. Ready-to-shoot ARs are going for upwards of $2k now.

I’ve got an ancient Stevens shotgun that I inherited, finish mostly gone and no firing pin (not that I would try to shoot the thing). It’s real value is near zero, but yeah I’ll take $100 for it, all day long.

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hannah
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:09pm
I would be worried if I were you because once Obozo knows he has MOST if not ALL the fire arms he wants out of the hands of law abiding Americans, what will his next move be? I don’t even want to imagine that move because it’s going to be allot worse once guns are gone and he has ALL the power. Be aware people, lock and load!!!!

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noslave
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:01pm
WOULD BE A HOOT IF SOME CROOKED COPS IN THE BUY BACK PROGRAM were caught makeing a few side bucks??

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SidneyDave
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:00pm
Why would anyone that paid $700 for a Glock 23 sell it to the police for $200? Maybe they didn’t buy it. When police buy back with no questions asked with the intent of destroying the gun, perfect fence for stolen weapons. Cops helping criminals, ain’t this country great?

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Cicatrix76
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:59pm
Anybody else think the cop in the picture looks a little like Adolf Hitler?

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- FlagWavingPatriot
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:11pm
  I actually thought it looked like G. Gordon Liddy when I saw the picture.
  
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mtsnj
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:57pm
“Most people are here in the spirit of wanting to do something because of some of the tragedies that we’ve seen in our country and in our own city.”
So maybe they should go out and fight crime, giving up an old gun doesn’t quite get the job done as per this statement.

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FreeCarolJoy
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:52pm
Why can’t I tweet any stories anymore?

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Combat_Medic
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:48pm
This is how it works. The media will glorify a gun buy back event and proclaim the citizens safer for it. Next comes the gun ban, then the threat of arrest if you don’t willingly turn them over. And the news media will applaud and cheer that we are safer, Agenda 21 ring a bell?

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Felicianomiko
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:43pm
I just love how people somehow think the Police are different from the rest of us, like the badge makes them all into perfect angels of righteous justice. They are like normal people, some are good, some are bad. I’d rather see private owners have guns to make the job of the police that much easier. Good cops want to come to house and find a dead criminal instead of a dead homeowner and have to track down the criminal before he kills again.

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Tickdog
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:40pm
love it!

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fr33dm
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:38pm
If/When this happens in Portland, OR, FR33DM Arms will be there to gladly buy the liberals’ guns from them.

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turbo
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:36pm
And how many of the really good quality, expensive, high demand guns made it to the recyclers?
And how many of those same guns are now sitting in the homes of those fine, civic minded officers?
Answers- 0%, 100%
WHAT A FARCE!

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Chrisrob63
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:36pm
They are going to melt them down to make rebar for local projects?

Not likely the rebar suppliers will stand for that; also rebar has to meet minimum tensile strength requirements. Can’t have a building or bridge collapse with sub-standard rebar.

More likely the guns are sold back to crooks for a nice profit.

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- Chrisrob63
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:54pm
  Also, most steel used in construction projects comes from overseas; usually China.
  
  If these guns are melted down they would be more likely to be re-forged to make new gun parts than reinforcing steel.
  
  How ironic would that be? Getting mowed down by a DHS goon with a Personal Defense Weapon, and having a barrel made from the gun you turned in.
  
  whaah-whaah-whaah
  
  Report this comment
Steve LeMaster
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:34pm
Since the 1990′s. Uh, no. They had one about 3 weeks ago

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TotallyNotATroll
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:29pm
Used single use launchers are known as tubes of scrap metal, the whole point of single use is they can’t be reused, and are perfectly legal to sell and collect. Even calling it a ‘rocket launcher’ at this point simply serves to project the whole anti-gun agenda, as you might call it a giant metal straw as thats about as dangerous as it is.

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circleDwagons
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:27pm
It is a tragedy to destroy good firearms. Every firearm deserves a good home.

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Aceofshades
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:25pm
25 to 250 dollars for a working fire arm.. Push rope, I have paid double that for firearms, and in upwards of $150 for a magazine with one of my rifles. You want the illegal guns off the streets, give them $100 OVER street value.

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tommysoap
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:24pm
In a related issue, the issue of banning private sales of weapons without first doing a background check. Seller and buyer simply become friends, seller makes a GIFT of a weapon to the buyer, for zero compensation, as a birthday/Christmas/whatever gift. Buyer in returns makes a birthday/Christmas/whatever gift to seller an amount of money commensurate to the value of the weapon.

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ThePirateRagnar
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:21pm
Tuuurnnn innn youuur guuuuns…..people willll noooo lonnngggeeeerrrr die if you tuuuurrrrn innn your guuuunnns! Every booddddddy…followwwww meeee tooo the $$$. Dooo sommeeee gooood innn yourr communiteeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Therein lies my attempt at brainwashing through hypnotism.

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- normalmom
  Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:44pm
  I’m choking on my food laughing at that, really funny.
  
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