Yet Another Useless Gun ‘Buyback’

by Mark Chesnut, TTAG, April 16, 2025

A recent gun “buyback” in Hawaii, which netted more than 300 guns turned in to authorities, had supporters crowing over the results. Unfortunately for them, studies have proven such programs to be completely ineffective at curtailing crime, shootings or anything else.

First, the accolades.

“I want to thank everyone who turned in an unwanted firearm today, because in doing so, you have helped to make our community that much safer,” Gov. Josh Green said following the event. “Keeping ourselves and each other safe and healthy is a personal choice that also benefits our neighbors. We thank DLE Director Mike Lambert for continuing this effort and for our partners’ help in this ongoing gun buyback program.”

As for Lambert, he had a few choice words for those gathered at the event.

“We are working to make our community safer in many ways, including initiatives like this gun buyback program,” he said. “These unwanted guns will never again be used. They will never again pose any type of threat to a loved one or have an opportunity to be used in a crime.”

Now, the truth about gun “buybacks.” But first, a disclaimer. Since the government never owned the firearms they are attempting to take possession of in the first place, “compensated confiscation” is a much better term for these proposals. Of course, that doesn’t sound quite as good on a big-city mayor’s, police chief’s or governor’s resumé as a gun “buyback” does.

What Gov. Green and DLE Director Lambert don’t know—or possibly know but don’t care about—is that a recently released study on the effectiveness of so-called gun “buybacks” concluded that such “buybacks” have no measurable impact on reducing violent crime.

The paper is titled “Have U.S. Gun Buybacks Misfired,” was authored by Toshio Ferrazares, Joseph J. Sabia and D. Mark Anderson, and published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

“Gun buyback programs (GBPs), which use public funds to purchase civilians’ privately-owned firearms, aim to reduce gun violence,” reads the paper’s abstract. “However, little is known about their effects on firearm-related crime or deaths. Using data from the National Incident Based Reporting System, we find no evidence that GBPs reduce gun crime.”

That said, the abstract continued even further with additional information that should put an end to the fallacy of such shenanigans once and for all.

“Given our estimated null findings, with 95 percent confidence, we can rule out decreases in firearm-related crime of greater than 1.3 percent during the year following a buyback,” the abstract concluded. “Using data from the National Vital Statistics System, we also find no evidence that GBPs reduce suicides or homicides where a firearm was involved.”   

Deep within the analysis of the research are some other pretty interesting facts the trio also discovered.

“GBPs may fail to reduce gun violence for a number of reasons,” the researchers wrote. “First, if the price city governments are willing to pay gun owners is less than the value of the firearm for most sellers, a relatively small number of firearms may be collected. Second, if criminals believe law-abiding citizens (and potential victims) are relinquishing their firearms, then they may be more willing to commit gun crimes following a GBP.”

In truth, the fact that criminals don’t turn in their guns at buybacks is only a single part of the reason such programs are grossly ineffective.

Since the crime problem in the United States is not based on the supply of guns, but rather on the criminal demand for them, attempting to end violent crime by collecting “garbage guns” from non-criminals’ closets is like trying to eliminate speeders by going after bicyclists, or trying to stop a cheating husband by having all his female interns quit. Simply put, in those cases the people being targeted are not the root of the problem.

  *   *   *   *   *

OʻAHU COMMUNITY GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM NETS 367 FIREARMS

Residents Received $37,900 in Grocery Gift Cards

News Release from Department of Law Enforcement, April 12, 2025

HONOLULU – O‘ahu residents today turned in an estimated 367 firearms of all types in exchange for $37,900 in Foodland gift cards distributed by the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement (DLE), as part of efforts by the administration of Governor Josh Green, M.D., to protect Hawai‘i residents from gun violence. The Department of the Attorney General, Honolulu Police Department and the Aloha Stadium Authority are  partnering in this initiative.

“I want to thank everyone who turned in an unwanted firearm today, because in doing so, you have helped to make our community that much safer,” said Governor Green. “Keeping ourselves and each other safe and healthy is a personal choice that also benefits our neighbors. We thank DLE Director Mike Lambert for continuing this effort and for our partners’ help in this ongoing gun buyback program.”

“We are working to make our community safer in many ways, including initiatives like this gun buyback program. These unwanted guns will never again be used. They will never again pose any type of threat to a loved one or have an opportunity to be used in a crime,” said Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert.

Individuals who turned in the following firearms were thanked with Foodland gift cards given in exchange:

$200 Foodland gift card for automatic firearms of any type, semi-automatic rifles, ghost guns.
$100 Foodland gift card for handguns, rifles, shotguns, bump stocks, Glock switches

There was no limit on the number of firearms turned in, but individuals were limited to receiving a maximum of three gift cards total. DLE personnel accepted both working and non-working firearms and also offered gun locks for anyone who didn’t wish to turn in a gun, but still wanted to make their firearms safe. Licensed gun dealers, as well as active and retired law enforcement officers, were not eligible to participate.

DLE continues to plan for gun buyback events on the neighbor islands. “Neighbor island police officers attended today’s event and were also present during previous events,” said DLE Deputy Director Jared Redulla. “The neighbor island officers are observing to learn the various tasks associated with the gun buyback program so that events can be run on the neighbor islands in the future.” Plans for future gun buyback events will be announced as scheduled.

DLE thanks the 2024 Legislature for appropriating funding in the fiscal year 2025 budget for the April 12 event.

This is an amnesty program, in which no questions were asked about the person dropping off any firearms. No identification was required. On-site officials reserved the right to refuse acceptance of firearms or issuing of gift cards.

# # #