Evaluating the Effectiveness of Gun Buyback Programs

Gun buyback programs have become a commonplace law enforcement practice since their creation in the 1970s. These buyback programs are a method of proactive policing against gun crime and are used as a means by law enforcement in an effort to curb gun violence. Generally, police offer incentives to community members in exchange for firearms. These incentives are most commonly money or gift certificates, but may also be merchandise. The programs rose to popularity in the 1990s due to widespread public support. However, as far as weapons policies go, gun buyback programs have been criticized as an ineffective means of curbing or preventing firearm violence. Thus, one must ask does the purchase of firearms from private citizens by law enforcement impact the rate of gun crime, or would other means be more effective in combating this type of crime? According to the Journal of Economics there are more firearms in the United States than people. Furthermore, the majority of homicides are committed with a firearm (Levitt, 2004). This may indicate that the availability of firearms contributes to gun violence. Individuals acquire guns in a variety of ways, from inheritance, purchasing, or theft. Regardless of the means of attainment, the possession of firearms is widespread in the United States. Those who possess guns do so for many reasons such as for sport, protection, or illegal activities (Bilchik, 1999). Gun buyback programs receive weapons from all types of individuals, regardless of how they originally acquired their firearms or why. The first gun buyback program was employed in Baltimore in 1977 to curb violence perpetrated by the use of firearms (Carter, 2002). Over the course of three-months, over 13,000 firearms we...

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