The City of Chicago commits cultural crime!

[Alan Smith]

Let's just be glad that (as far as we know) the City of Chicago did not come into possession of a truely historic firearm via this "buy back" program. Take for example Kaiser Wilhelm's Parabellum carbine shoulder-stocked pistol (whose location is currently unknown). Let's assume that the Kaiser's carbine can be identified (e.g. a presentation inscription on it) and maybe it was brought to Chicago in the 1920's by an immigrant from Germany, never getting registered under any of Chicago's gun permit laws. After a few generations the family cares nothing about it and the great-grandson decides that the $100 Visa gift card looks awfully tempting, so he drop the Kaiser's Luger carbine off at the buy-back.

What happens then: does reason prevail and the Chicago P.D. finds a way to transfer the Kaiser's carbine to a museum (let's say, to the Art Institute of Chicago's collection of arms and armor), thereby validating that guns are part of history and worthy of preservation, or does it go to the smelter with all of the Lorcins, Ravens, Kel-9's. etc.?

Such historic arms are out there "in the woodwork", held by the uninformed. Thus, I very much worry that such historic arms are at risk for acquisition via the various buy-back programs around the U.S., with such arms consigned to the smelter (the rule in these buy-back programs seeming to be no exceptions from the destruction, even for historic items).

I remember years ago an article on National Public Radio about a gun buy-back in St. Louis, MO, where the interviewer spoke with people standing in line to drop off guns. One of the persons interviewed had a brown paper bag with "three WWI German pistols" in it that some relative had brought back from WWI. Those pistols were going to the buy-back, with all firearms acquired via the program to be melted down and cast into a statue memoralizing a child who was killed by a stray bullet in some inner-city "hood" shootout. So, it does happen that historic arms end up in these buy-back programs and are (I presume) melted down with the other 99% junk guns that come in.

Does anyone know of a buy-back program where the collectable guns are exempted from destruction?

[Alan Smith]

Update: I just saw a video of the Chicago buy-back guns on another forum. Among the items clearly visible was a WWII German Erma EMP sub-machinegun; a WWII U.S. issue Reising sub-machinegun; a Vietnam-era U.S. M-60 machinegun, along with other stuff such as Browning HP, P.38, etc.

I'll bet there is a strong possibility that the machineguns are stolen, either from legitimate private collectors or from police/military sources. I wonder if the Chicago P.D. will have BATFE check these guns' SN's to see if they are stolen and, rather than being destroyed, should be returned to their lawful owners?

[TP Alexander]

Update: I just saw a video of the Chicago buy-back guns on another forum. Among the items clearly visible was a WWII German Erma EMP sub-machinegun; a WWII U.S. issue Reising sub-machinegun; a Vietnam-era U.S. M-60 machinegun, along with other stuff such as Browning HP, P.38, etc.

I'll bet there is a strong possibility that the machineguns are stolen, either from legitimate private collectors or from police/military sources. I wonder if the Chicago P.D. will have BATFE check these guns' SN's to see if they are stolen and, rather than being destroyed, should be returned to their lawful owners?

Give me a link to that video, would you please Alan?
Thanx brother,
Timmy

PS- One of the advertised facts about that "buy-back" was that there would be no questions asked. So you could turn in a murder weapon that you had killed someone with and not have to worry about it. I have no idea if they do any investigation on these weapons at all.

[Alan Smith]

See if this works:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/23/chicago-police-collect-5500-weapons-during-gun-turn-in/

[james m]

Want to bet that any valuable weapons go right into the police dept's personnel private collections? Oh sure the make a big todo about destroying the cheap stuff. Some police departments allow a guy with an FFL to break down turned in or confiscated weapons and the money from the sale of parts goes right to the department. I've looked at what's for sale here as parts sets and it's usually such things as Lorcins old nickle plated revolvers and single barrel shotgun parts. For some reason they never have any Beretttas,Sigs,Glocks,Colts etc. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where these end up.
From the Chicago link: "All these weapons will be destroyed" B.S.!
Jim

[foy1944]

130 000 guns in Belgium...

in 2006 we had a big weapon-destroy action to... 130 000 guns gone forever !!!!

[phild]

Update: I wonder if the Chicago P.D. will have BATFE check these guns' SN's to see if they are stolen and, rather than being destroyed, should be returned to their lawful owners?

In the past at least in the HUD type Fed level buy backs that I have seen briefed by the Secretary of Housing.....they did run the serials and did find of hundreds of reported stolen guns from those numbers....BUT did not return them to the owners......they stated that all were destroyed......including at least a few Revolutionary War flintlocks...one of which was a Committee of Safety musket......what is that worth, 10K+?

At any rate would not returning the known stolen firearms be the same at the Federal gov stealing the firearms themselves? I know that if I had property that I knew was stolen and did not report it, I could and most likely would be charged with a crime. Why the double standard?

[robcox1]

If the media wasn't so anti-gun the whole program could make for a great story:

Reporter: "Mr. Mayor, what do you think of people that go into poor neighborhoods and trick people into giving away possessions that can be worth thousands of dollars in exchange for a $100 gift card?"

The people behind this would express outrage that anyone would do such a thing and then they would be truly enraged when they realized that the reporter was referring to them.

[robcox1]

I know that if I had property that I knew was stolen and did not report it, I could and most likely would be charged with a crime. Why the double standard?

Government types like to enact laws and enforce them on others, but that doesn't mean they think that they need to follow those same laws themselves.

[james m]

Big fat and gun hating Rosie O'Donnell has armed body guards. You can be sure the Mayor of Chicago has armed guards as well. I'm speculating here but I wouldn't be surprised if the alderman have armed guards as well or have been issued "Tan Cards" which allow restricted carry.
Jim

[phild]

Big fat and gun hating Rosie O'Donnell has armed body guards. You can be sure the Mayor of Chicago has armed guards as well. I'm speculating here but I wouldn't be surprised if the alderman have armed guards as well or have been issued "Tan Cards" which allow restricted carry.
Jim

For sure most every proposed gun law that I have read includes exceptions for certain "classes" of people....and I don't mean just in an official capacity either.


One thing that I believe that everyone should understand is that the intention behind all of these is never about reducing crime.....that is not my opinion, but rather a provable fact. The crime reduction slogan is very much used in every case for sure in order to get the masses on board.....but this is never the real intent as there is never any tying of firearm restrictions to comprehensive crime reduction strategies.....only a hammering of sentencing imposed on those caught with firearms!

T