CLINTON-GORE GUN SURRENDER SCHEME: Political Gimmickery at its Worst

"...a Justice Department study has already evaluated gun-surrender programs and found they don't work..."

      The Clinton-Gore Administration grabbed the media spotlight this week by proposing a $15 million "crime-fighting" program -- which it called a national gun "buyback." As usual, however, the Administration's proposal is better suited as an exercise in public relations, rather than an effort to reduce crime.

Wayne LaPierre

      NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre referred to the Administration as the "Barnum & Bailey" of American law enforcement, stating, "The real tragedy is that the $15 million proposed for the program could be better used to implement 'Project Exile' -- the tough enforcement effort that has dramatically reduced violent crime in Richmond, Virginia -- in the ten most violent cities in the country."

Prof. Gary Kleck

      There are many problems with such schemes like the one proposed by the Administration, and Prof. Gary Kleck of Florida State University is among several criminologists -- including anti-gun advocates -- who have studied such efforts. He writes, "Support for turn-in programs among government officials yields real political benefits, in the form of favorable press coverage and positive feedback from gun control supporters. . . . Nevertheless, these programs have no demonstrable impact on crime." (Targeting Guns: Fireams and Their Control, Aldine de Gruyter, 1997)

      Prof. Kleck and others have cited several shortcomings of gun turn-ins, among them:

• They can result in the disarming of future crime victims who could have used the guns defensively to prevent death, injury, or property loss.
• As the Law Enforcement Alliance of America has stated, a "no-questions- asked" policy provides the criminal with a perfectly legal and foolproof way in which to dispose of any weapon that has been used in crime.
• The guns turned in usually belong to those people -- women, senior citizens, etc. -- least likely to commit crimes of violence.
• Many of the guns turned in are cheap handguns purchased for the express purpose of being turned in for profit.
• Paying a no-questions-asked minimum "bounty" provides criminals with an incentive to steal guns.
• Low bounties encourage the surrender of cheaper, small-caliber handguns, which in turn encourages their replacement with larger-caliber, more powerful handguns.
• Most people who turn in guns still retain other guns.
• Such programs frequently result in guns being destroyed, rather than being returned to those from whom they were stolen. Clearly, any stolen guns turned in must be returned to their lawful owners.

           The Clinton-Gore scheme calls for a study, after the fact, of the effectiveness of the program. But a Justice Department study has already evaluated gun-surrender programs and found they don't work.

      This latest publicity stunt from the White House follows closely on the heels of the recent analysis of law enforcement data done by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University that exposed the decline in federal prosecutions of firearm-related crimes under the watch of Clinton-Gore (see FAX Alert, Vol. 6, No. 34). It also follows Clinton's offer to pardon 16 Puerto Rican terrorists, which was done against the advice of the Justice Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office (see FAX Alert, Vol. 6, No. 31). These hardly seem like the actions of someone who claims to be concerned with violent crime. It is also of interest to note that the U.S. House passed a resolution yesterday stating President Clinton should not pardon the Puerto Rican terrorists, as it may send a message to other terrorists that could encourage them to commit violent acts on U.S. soil. The resolution was passed on an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 311 - 41.

      NRA will continue to lobby Congress to provide $50 - $75 million in funding to promote "Project Exile" nationwide, compared to the pathetic cap of $5 million in the Administration's budget for enforcement programs. Continue to tell your lawmakers that you feel that enforcing existing laws will do far more than the do-nothing P-R campaigns offered by the White House.

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