Oakland Gun Buy-Back Misfires

From a scathing guest commentary piece in the Contra Costa Times by Alex Tabarrok. A few gems:

" The "One Less Gun" buy-back program attracted so many eager sellers that the money quickly ran out. But instead of closing up shop, the police handed out IOUs good for a future buy back. The Oakland police are now stuck with a bill for $170,000.

Which they can ill afford to waste on this nonsense. Oakland is broke, like California.

In an authoritative study, the National Academy of Sciences reported that "the theory underlying gun buy-back programs is badly flawed and the empirical evidence demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these programs."

But they feel so good.

In fact, the first two people in line at one of the three buy-back locations were gun dealers with 60 firearms packed in the trunk of their cars.

A good deal for a few gun dealers? If Perata finds out, he'll have a stroke. Maybe it was worth it?

The Oakland police, for example, bought a dozen guns from seniors living in an assisted-living facility. Are you relieved to know that Perata disarmed these dangerous senior citizens?

Actually, I learned earlier these people were getting rid of junk, too. They kept the good guns.

Alex Tabarrok is research director for the Independent Institute in Oakland, and associate professor of economics at George Mason University.

Good commentary, Mr. Tabarrok.

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