Edhat StaffSource: Santa Barbara Police Department
The Santa Barbara Police Department & Coalition Against Gun Violence will be hosting an Anonymous Gun Buyback on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Gate C Entrance of the Earl Warren Showgrounds located at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara. Anyone seeking to dispose of an unwanted firearm may do so anonymously at the event. $100.00 Smart & Final Supermarket gift cards will be given to people turning in functioning handguns, shotguns, and rifles and $200.00 Smart & Final Supermarket gift cards will be given to people turning in functioning California classified assault weapons, while supplies last. Additionally, free gun locks will also be given away to anybody wanting one, while supplies last. Firearms should be transported to the Gun Buyback unloaded and in the trunks of vehicles.
Ammunition for handguns, shotguns, and rifles will also be collected at the Gun Buyback, however gift cards will not be provided in exchange for these items. Under no circumstances should explosives or military ordnance such as hand grenades or artillery shells be brought to the event.
The Santa Barbara Police Department & Coalition Against Gun Violence will be hosting a press conference to provide additional details about the Gun Buyback on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 12:00 noon on the steps of City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street.
No, not at that moment, but… they have computers and they check the serial number and if it comes back as stolen it is returned to the owner. They don’t run ballistics to see if “said” weapon has been used in a crime so hopefully they are not ” accomplices”. I would suggest not trying to turn in one with the serial numbers ground off. It’s still early so you still have time find an instance to insinuate something bad from something good.
I am not sure they can return the gun back to the owner if it was turned in anonymously but they may record the comings and goings of the parking lot event. I dropped by one of these events and many of the guns were old style decommissioned bolt-action military rifles that are really not worth much. There was one AR style rifle and one very expensive handgun in a case which looked like it had never been taken out of its display box. I heard that at one of these events a historically relevant gun from hundreds of years ago was turned in. There was a big debate whether to destroy it or give it to a museum. I never heard the outcome.
Mostly these sort of programs (supported by “grants”) are a feel good moment and a job maker for local law enforcement. Considering the 100s of 1000s of firearms extent in CA this is sort of just silly. Unless, perhaps, grandma can sneak her teenaged grandkids secret weapon stash out and turn it in for a few bucks on the sly! But as we have had confirmed recently, dad and grandmom are more likely to turn the weapons back to the possession of their dangerous offspring.
I got a dirty old Winchester from my dad and thought maybe I would take it down. Did a little homework and ended up selling it for $1500! Screw that buyback program!
Richyrich, Well done! Aside from your financial gain, someone who wants and appreciates that old Winchester, will enjoy it. Good job of recycling. The fact is that firearms manufactured before 1965 are generally of inherently high quality. After that there was very little hand fitting and finishing that went into production firearms. I know folks who send new arms out to a quality gunsmith to receive that final finesse in order to match the quality of yesteryear.