The Art of Crashing Police Buybacks
On May 12, 2015, TTAG posted an article about the recent Los Angeles gun buyback (or “gun confiscation event”) that occurred on May 9. In the article it was written that “California is one of the last few places where such events still occur without competition from private buyers.” That statement seems plausible given California’s notoriety for “progressive” gun laws; however, I seek out gun buybacks in order to save guns from turning into rebar.
While it has gotten progressively more difficult to crash buybacks here behind the Iron Curtain, it is not impossible to do and I absolutely love doing it. Yes, witnessing the destruction of valuable firearms is really disheartening and the deck is totally stacked but it is still really fun to get involved with fellow gun owners, win hearts and minds, pick up some cool guns and revel in sticking it to the man.
I started crashing buybacks in 2009 when I was attending college. At the time I was encouraging my fellow classmates to purchase their own guns and I figured that gun buybacks could provide a great way for my fellow college students to legally acquire some great guns at a fantastic price. Despite my best efforts to rally the troops though, I ended up being the only one going since everyone decided to flake out and do… well, whatever normal college kids do on the weekends. It was at this first buyback that I scored my favorite shotgun, a Winchester Model 12. From that point on I was hooked.
Buybacks in California are far different than those in other states from what I have gathered from video clips and articles strewn across the firearms world. We don’t have lines of people with which we can mingle and chat, we can’t do cash and carry purchases and the cops are generally pretty hostile. The locations where buybacks are held are (or at least seem to be) strategically placed to limit avenues of protest and limit interaction with the attendees. Since people are required to keep their guns inside their vehicles any attempt for people to stop and chat is seen as blocking traffic and intimidation tactics are used to prod people into feeling as if they are obligated to enter the buyback and surrender their arms.
I have often seen people commenting on the internet that gun buybacks are perfect havens for criminals to discard their weapons without any police scrutiny or questioning. While this is a valid point, it doesn't really seem to play out all that often. I have only met one person who was a felon and all he was turning in was a Savage hunting rifle. I have found that the average person going to a buyback is equally split among men and women with an average age of 55, mostly white, low-to-middle class and either uneducated, ignorant or scared about firearms in general, though there are quite a few exceptions.
The reasons that people go to buybacks to turn in guns vary pretty widely. There are a lot of people that go to the buybacks to turn in crappy and unsafe guns for greater value than they could gain on the open market (as evidenced by the high number of Rohm revolvers and the plethora of “Saturday Night Specials” in the lists I have seen). Some turn in guns because they have no one else to give them to (they obviously don’t know me, right?). Some are truly scared of the draconian laws and high levels of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) and want an easy way out of gun ownership. Some know they have guns that are illegal under CA and even Federal law and don’t want to render them legal so thus they are destroyed.
Crashing a buyback is something you can do too. Contact your local law enforcement agency and inquire about similar events in your area. They are more common in the holiday months when people are desperate for Christmas money, but they do happen year-round. One of the best ways to get outraged is to request a list of firearms that were recently collected and destroyed. Such lists are generally available under your state’s freedom of information act (FOIA) provisions.
When you are out there at a buyback, you need to sell yourself just as much as the attendees feel they need to destroy their guns. Dress in decent clothes, don’t wear anything with gun humor or political messages, shave your neckbeards, be friendly and don’t mob people that come by. You are ambassadors for the gun community and your actions will leave an impression.
The key to saving guns at a buyback is getting the driver’s attention before they drive into the designated collection area. This can be achieved by getting to the buyback early and holding up signs with messages like “Will buy guns for more money” or “Free firearm appraisal, get more than $100”. This at least gets folks interested and often they pull over to ask how much money they can get. Considering the variety of guns that show up at a buyback, I would not make a sign like “Will pay $150 for your gun” as that doesn’t leave a lot of bargaining room should the gun be desirable but still not worth the price you posted. Also, when the gift cards run out, changing your sign to “No more gift cards, we have cash!” works really well. I have made signs out of posterboard and even long gun boxes, though I have seen wooden ones and wearable ones as well. All have equal rates of success.
Generally speaking you will see more interest from attendees when the gift cards run out, which in California is typically around 2–3 hours after the buyback starts. If you want to be really clever, turn in your own rusted out Raven and use that gift card to buy lunch or another gun. Even better, go have some fun and make a Four Winds Shotgun to turn in before taking up your protest spot. If you can’t beat them, bleed them. .
Working with a team provides much better results than working alone. Map out the event beforehand with Google Earth and maybe visit the area to get a better feel for the area. Get your friends to cover all the entrances to the buyback and work on making small areas for parking and chatting. In places where space to proposition attendees is limited, having an RV or large vehicle with a banner on it could provide much better results.
The trickiest issue of buying guns from total strangers is making sure you comply with all state and local laws. While buying guns in the parking lot from someone you just met sounds like commonplace for most TTAG readers, living behind the Iron Curtain of California makes this a more difficult proposition. Before January 1, 2014 California allowed the transfer of any rifle or shotgun more than 50 years old to happen without involving a firearms dealer (FFL). This was great for snagging old curio and relic guns like the Winchester Model 12 I scored back in 2009. California now requires all firearms transfers (except antiques) go through an FFL and requires a background check and a 10-day waiting period for the buyer. While gun enthusiasts in California are used to the extra paperwork, the idea of going to another location and filling out forms will scare some people away but are usually assuaged by extra cash and curiosity about the process itself.. Some potential sellers may offer to sell you their firearm anyway without using a dealer as required by California law. While picking up a gun for cheap and without paperwork is tempting, it is best to decline. Remember, the police are watching you. I myself had cops at one event attempt to arrest me for an illegal transfer (a frustrating endeavor for them as it turned out since I was totally legal) and at the same event an undercover tried to get me to consent to a paperless transfer. Again, remember, the police ARE watching you. Do not give them an opportunity to make an example out of you.
If you are unable to acquire firearms at a buyback, don’t be discouraged. Ammunition is also common at buybacks and I have known people to score some nice stashes of it. If you can’t legally purchase a particular gun (say, an Intratec TEC-9), you can just pull the non-serialized parts off of it and pay for the parts. Don’t forget magazines, grips, scopes, sights and the like can be very valuable so bring a small set of gunsmith screwdrivers and other tools with you. Depending on your bravery level, perhaps a blowtorch and/or bandsaw.
If any of you guys have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below and I will be more than happy to answer them.
Get out there and save those guns!
