Gee, I Feel Safer

Police in Kalamazoo collected 120 guns with their buyback efforts.

Public Safety Chief Dan Weston said the buyback makes the city safer. "While it is impossible to know what violent crime(s) may be avoided because these firearms have been destroyed, we do know that these 120 weapons are no longer available to cause injury or death,'' he said in the press release.

Yep. That'll solve the violent crime problem. Especially when they offer amnesty for turning the gun in!

People can turn in weapons, ammunition and explosives to the police without penalty.

Residents can receive $25 for nonworking, single shot and or .22 caliber firearms; $50 for working handguns and multiple shot long guns; $75 for high capacity hand guns and $100 for assault weapons.

Of course, it was only open to residents turning in "unwanted firearms," not to criminals.

Residents can turn in unwanted firearms at two local events.

I'm glad they made that distinction. Although, I am a little confused. What was the point of this exercise?

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is striving to remove firearms from the streets and keep them out of the hands of criminals.

How is Joe Citizen, by turning in his lawfully-owned weapon, removing firearms from the streets? Big Brother isn't pulling any shenanigans, is he?

Of course, Kalamazoo is in the west side of Michigan. Over here in Detroit, we did our gun buyback at a church... which, ironically, must have been in violation of state law - which prohibits guns at a church or other place of worship.