Local governments and law enforcement agencies continue to host gun buyback events. Unfortunately, these groups apparently do not outgrow the myth of the effectiveness of gun buybacks.
As we have said before, these gun buyback events are ineffective wastes of tax dollars. Studies show they do not reduce crime. Even the Obama Administration, which embraced all sorts of ineffective gun control measures, rejected the idea in its National Institute of Justice memo. Law enforcement professionals agree, with 82 percent rating gun buybacks as ineffective in reducing violent crime.
Paging the Misguided Medical Community
Now, medical professionals are joining the ranks of magical thinkers, hosting recent gun buybacks in several New England cities. Setting aside the futility of the events themselves, this is another example of the gun control groups attempting to recast gun control—a criminal justice issue—as a public health issue.
This ongoing rebranding effort has been exposed in the past, pointing out that firearms are not a disease and that there are legal, healthy ways that tens of millions of law-abiding Americans enjoy each day. Based on public opinion surveys showing that Americans do not see the misuse of guns in violent crimes as a public health issue, it’s not the role of doctors to play gun control detective during checkups. One NSSF survey found: “An overwhelming 84 percent of survey respondents said gun violence is a criminal justice issue, rather than a public health issue, such as viruses. An even higher 88 percent of respondents said they do not think the CDC should spend resources on studying the use of guns in crime rather than on studying viruses and disease.”
Physician Consultation Ineffective
This isn’t just the public’s opinion, however. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report in October that confirms, having doctors talk to parents about safe storage and firearms in the home does not change the parents’ behavior. In the words of the GAO authors:
Our review of the studies relating to safe storage approaches (device distribution and physician consultation) found that providing a free locking device to study participants influenced behavior to store firearms more safely and physician consultation generally did not.
So, gun buybacks are ineffective wastes of taxpayer funds, and doctors consulting with patients and their parents on firearms doesn’t work. It will clearly take more than magical thinking to assume the combination will have any impact on reducing criminal violence or firearms accidents.
Really want to make a difference this season? How about a contribution to the NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® program to help distribute free safety kits with gun locks to communities in all 50 states? Based on GAO’s own research as well as public opinion surveys, more funding should be directed to funding the distribution of free locking devices and educational material, rather than being poured into ineffective gun control measures dressed up as safety programs.
Do you believe gun buyback events work? How do you think we can keep guns out of the hands of criminals? Share your answers in the comment section.
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I suspect these physicians know about as much about reducing cr5ime as criminologists know about performing appendectomies!
To help keep guns away from criminals, secure our border with the wall, enforce harsh punishments for felons caught with guns, more resources and man power in inner city high crime areas, and educate gun owners with simple things like the NRA safety rules (especially the first 4), more public information tv commercials stating the safety rules and showing examples, encourage professional training for gun owners and encourage safe practice techniques.
Gun Buys are nothing more than creating a safe way for criminals to steel guns and sell them. The guns should be checked to see if they are stolen and the seller arrested if they are. If that is not done the buyer should be arrested for buying and possesing stolen property. Both are crimes and goverment agenceys are not allowed to committ crimes.
I usually don’t participate in the comment section but this article came off condescending and judgmental towards physicians that enjoy firearm rights such as myself. Like many others in my field, I don’t support gun buybacks and don’t appreciate being generalized as a “magical thinker” or “misguided” because some healthcare professionals in a single state have shown support for these recent events (according to the article).
These doctor groups do not speak for the doctors here in my hospital
We are all a bunch of gun enthusiasts!
As for doctors advising patients on gun storage, doctors have no training or expertise on firearms safe storage practices
Any patient who asks a doctor about proper gun storage should be referred to a NRA qualified instructor!