L.A. Trades $200-Dollar Gift Cards For Guns

Police in Los Angeles, yesterday, Wednesday, traded gift cards for guns in a buyback program announced by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as crime -fighting response to the deadly Sandy Hook shootings.

In the program, police gave out $200 grocery store gift cards to people who turned in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to those who provided a handgun, rifle or shotgun.

The city has held annual gun buyback schemes since 2009, and the next one was intended for May, but the Newton tragedy necessitated this special immediate gun buyback response.

"There are a number of things we can do. This is just one of them," Villaraigosa said on CNN. "We've got to also address the culture of violence that we've got in this country."

At last count, the Los Angeles gun buyback had collected 1,366 firearms, including 477 handguns and 49 assault weapons, said Vicki Curry, a spokeswoman for the mayor. The buyback ended at 4 pm local time, but a final tally is not expected to be released before Thursday.

There are those who say the buyback has little effect in reducing gun violence, and even a 2004 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies questioned the efficacy of the scheme in keeping the streets safe.

Among the report's findings were that guns surrendered in buybacks tend to be old or inherited from previous owners, and not likely to be used in crime. Also, gun owners find it easy to replace their firearms, according to the report, which was titled "Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review."

Source: Reuters

They might have a point. Any twisted, diabolical mind bent on causing mayhem would not be swayed by the lure of a $200 dollar gift card, especially if they can just head back to the gun store and get a bigger, badder, meaner replacement.

The Mayor is right though: A response to the Sandy Hook Shooting is needed, and as we say in this part of the world. . .

Any response is better than no response.

And while America is busy debating greater gun control or no gun control, cities like Detroit, Boston, and San Diego are doing their best with the gun buyback scheme.

At least someone's doing something.