The event is scheduled to run from 8 am to 4 pm. People often turn up early at these events.
The incentive for the gun turn in has been a $50 WalMart gift card for handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and a $100 WalMart gift card for "assault weapons". A special incentive at the Gary turn-in will be a
certificate for a free GED test for the first 50 people to turn in guns. With the guns to be turned in at multiple locations, the action may be slow at any one spot. Private sales are legal in Indiana, as they are in most states.
Linda at the Gary Police Department,
(219) 881-1201, believed that the incentives would be as before, with the addition of the GED testing. She said that they have not seen private buyers at these events. People who wish to turn in guns may do so anonymously, and can simply walk into the places where the guns are to be turned in. As police in Gary may not have encountered private buyers before, attending with a friend and having a digital recorder, might be a good idea.
You might want to read about the other events to see how things were handled there.
Be prepared for a percentage of people who refuse to talk to anyone but police. All the private buyers that I saw in Phoenix were very polite and let these ideologically driven people turn in their guns for a fraction of what they would be worth on the open market.
Signs are helpful, as are good grooming, cash, and a friendly attitude. Dale Carnegie's advise for dealing with people works very well.
Across the country, communities, police departments and churches are sponsoring gun turn-ins to get "guns off the street". At many of these events, private buyers are showing up, offering cash for the more valuable guns. These private additions to the public turn-in are effective, no doubt, in getting more guns out of the hands of people who do not appreciate them, because they add to the resources that are available to those who want to get rid of guns for something of value, be it a gift card or a number of twenty dollar bills.
You can help make the turn-in in your area more effective by standing on the curb with your "Cash for Guns" sign, or at a folding table, willing to offer more than the gift card for firearms that are more valuable. It would be best if numerous private parties were available, as more good guns could then be transferred into responsible hands.
This action serves many useful purposes. It stretches the turn-in budget so that more guns can be taken off the street. It helps keep fearful widows from being defrauded of most of the market value of the gun they are turning in. It prevents valuable assets from being destroyed by bureaucratic inflexibility. It is a win-win-win situation.
It also dispels the pernicious message that guns are bad and should be destroyed.
Link to article with numerous examples of private sales at gun turn in events Link to most recent article about private buyers at Detroit event
Link to Phoenix Article: pictures of private buyers
An alternative approach at reducing crime takes the opposite tact,
giving away shotguns to people in crime ridden communities.
©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.Link to Gun Watch
Picture from the Gary Police Department, for the August 2012 event. 129 firearms were turned in.