Gun owners in the United States of America are numerous. According to a survey, there are 120 guns per 100 Americans- and the numbers aren’t really reducing. The sale of new guns can be controlled by inducing policies and laws, but what of the people who already own them?
Some say the introduction of gun buyback programs can reduce the number of guns on America’s streets.
US Gun Stock
The United States of America has the highest number of guns owned by civilians. A conducted survey confirmed 393 million guns in the United States of America- excluding the ones owned by the military. Hence, we can assume that, on average, each household has at least one gun. So for an effective buy back program, it needs to have a good financial budget.
Reducing Numbers
Gun buyback programs consist of purchasing guns from owners for a price and typically destroying them for good and they aren’t really new. They have been around for a while now. Back in the 70’s, Baltimore police collected almost 13,500 guns over a two-to-three-month period by paying an estimated amount of $50 per gun. However, it had mixed results. In some states, it proved to be effective as people donated their guns for an amount of money. In other cases, the homicides went up. Another study showed that challenges include types of purchased guns, the participation of law enforcement, and the total costs.
Types of guns bought by Gun Buyback Programs
Gun buyback programs don’t really have a restriction on the type of guns that can be sold / donated by the owners. Different owners of varying ages bring in a number of guns that include rifles and shotguns. Many owners sold the guns that were not in working order. In 2015, 13 police departments in Massachusetts launched a gun buyback program that offered a high amount of money in exchange of firearms used in any kind of crime activity.
Impact of Gun Buyback programs in the United States of America
So far, the gun buyback programs have had different impacts depending on the resources that have been committed to these programs. Here at Fifty50, we accept all donations without any questions. We simply do not want any gun to be lying around and possibly used by an untrained user. A gun in the hands of an untrained user may result in an accident. An accident that may cost a person’s life.