Buckeye Reporter

Once again, Chicago has demonstrated challenges associated with gun control efforts, specifically highlighting issues surrounding gun turn-in events. On April 4, an article by the Chicago Sun Times, titled “‘Where is the Glock?’ Gun turned over to Chicago police wound up in the hands of a teenager,” described a December 2023 event at St. Sabina Church where a gun, a Glock handgun, went missing amid chaos during inventory at the police station. The missing gun was later recovered from a 16-year-old in South Shore.

This is not the first incident of its kind. The Sun Times highlighted a previous occurrence where a firearm turned in by a Cook County judge resurfaced in a fatal police shooting in Cicero. City officials elected not to question any individuals involved in the buyback after a prolonged investigation.

Critics argue these events serve as propaganda and are ineffective in enhancing public safety. A 2013 Department of Justice memo stated, "Gun buybacks are ineffective as generally implemented," noting the low risk of the turned-in weapons being used in crimes.

Research supports these claims. A 1994 study in Seattle found no significant reduction in firearm-related crimes post-turn-in. Similarly, criminologist Gary Kleck noted in 1996 that gun buyback programs do not adequately reduce violence. Harvard researcher David Kennedy in 2000 said these events do little good as the firearms turned in are not typically those used in crimes.

Moreover, a 2002 study published in Injury Prevention concluded that guns collected in these programs aren't commonly linked to homicides or suicides. Garen Wintemute, a co-author of the study, reinforced this point by stating, "If you think it will reduce rates of crime, go back to the drawing board."

A 2022 working paper, summarized by the CATO Institute in 2023, also found gun buybacks to be ineffective, noting a potential increase in gun crimes following such events. With a consistent consensus over three decades of research regarding the ineffectiveness of gun turn-ins, calls are growing for these programs to be re-evaluated.