NY Gun Buyback Program Nets Over 3K Firearms

Facts

• Over 3K firearms in New York state were exchanged for gift cards over the weekend as part of a gun buyback program organized by the state attorney general's office. New Yorkers could turn in guns with no questions asked at nine locations across the state.¹
• Participants received $500 for assault-style rifles and untraceable "ghost guns," $75 for other rifles, and $25 for non-working replicas, antiques, or 3D-printed guns. Handgun owners received $500 for the first handgun and $150 for each additional one.²
• Attorney General Letitia James stated that "every single one of these guns represents a potential tragedy averted." Over 751 guns were returned in Syracuse — a state record — and over 90 were returned at a single location in Brooklyn.³
• The buyback program is one of many initiatives James has taken against gun violence in New York. Since 2019, more than 7K guns have been removed from communities throughout the state.⁴
• Syracuse has seen a 133% jump in homicides this year, with mayor Ben Walsh saying, "our federal government is abdicating their responsibility to ensure that guns are being handled safely" amidst a spate of high-profile gun violence cases nationwide.²
• While James hailed the buyback as a vital development, some jurisdictions in the state opted out due to skepticism over the effectiveness of buyback programs, with Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond stating that "the effect on public safety is minimal."⁵

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²ABC News, ³New York Post, ⁴The Hill, and ⁵Niagara Gazette.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by New York State Attorney General. New York should be applauded for being a national leader in preventing gun violence. Fewer guns on the street mean fewer tragic and senseless deaths as the state works towards making a real difference in the fight against gun crime. The gun buyback initiative will pay dividends down the road, as fewer guns are at risk of falling into the wrong hands.
• Right narrative, as provided by FEE. Anti-gun politicians love their gun buy-back events because it gives them a chance to mesmerize the public through photos of scary-looking weapons laid out on a table. In reality, however, the US' own National Bureau of Economic Research has found that these programs don't broadly reduce gun crime or violent crime. Moreover, these ineffective programs, if implemented nationwide, would cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars or more — all that expense for no benefit to public safety.

Predictions