One of the favorite tactics of gun-grabbers could soon be illegal in Texas. The Texas House recently passed HB 3053, which would ban counties or cities from conducting taxpayer-funded gun buyback programs. The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Wesley Virdell (R-Brady), says these programs are a waste of public dollars and have no demonstrated effect on reducing crime. The final vote was 90-49, with most Democrats opposed.
Houston and Harris County have held several of these gun buyback events in recent years under former Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. In fact, Ellis bragged that the county had set aside more than $1 million for gun buyback programs in 2022. Not only did the buybacks fail to reduce crime, but violent crime actually soared immediately after.
Leigh Gibson, Texas State Director for Gun Owners of America, tells KTRH these buyback programs are ineffective and fraught with problems. "Often the firearms that are brought in are older, not in working condition...often there's no questions asked about where the firearms came from...and often you can do private sales just outside the buyback area, which you would think would cause more concern," she says.
Indeed, police have said the guns typically turned in during these events are not those used in crimes, and are sometimes stolen from law-abiding gun owners in order to be turned in for money. During the Texas House hearing, Democrats pointed to comments from San Antonio's deputy police chief that while buybacks didn't reduce crime, they at least take guns "out of circulation."
That might be the whole point. "This is a PR campaign for gun grabbers, to make it look like they are getting guns off the streets of cities like Houston and San Antonio," says Gibson. "With the crime in Houston, I would argue there should be more people protecting themselves (with firearms)."
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