By MIRANDA VISCOLI, Co-president Robert Visel could not have said it better in his editorial, “Gun Buyback Farce.”
In his letter to the editor he calls New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence gun buybacks a “Feel good maneuver”. Yes, it does “feel good” to see a widow bring in her departed husband’s arsenal of guns that have been left in their bedroom closet. It feels great to see the relief on grandparents’ faces when they know that their guns will not get into their grandchildren’s hands. Or, the proud young father with his newborn bringing in a semi-automatic handgun. Then, there is the satisfaction on a sheriff’s face when a sawed-off shotgun comes in or a brand new AR-15. Not to mention, the true gratitude participants express when we hand them gas and grocery cards in lieu of cash.
As one of the directors of the program, I have personally seen all the above scenarios and many more with our Guns to Gardens gun buybacks. In fact, we conduct an anonymous survey at every gun buyback to track why people are bringing in their unwanted, working firearms. More than 95 percent of the participants do so because of safety concerns. These responsible gun owners simply don’t want these guns getting into the wrong hands — such a suicidal teenager, a toddler or to be stolen by a criminal. Some participants have other guns that they are keeping, but their gun safes are not big enough to hold the ones they deliver to the program.
Visel argues that these gun buy back programs don’t work. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Hartford Police Department would probably think differently. This summer both cities held gun buybacks. In Los Angeles, their gun buyback took 800 working firearms off the streets, including … a rocket launcher. Yes, that is the sound of your jaw hitting the floor. In Hartford, they took 200 guns off the street including an AK 47. There seems to be a resurgence of gun buybacks across the country as law enforcement departments are realizing their benefits.
Let’s get some other facts straight in Visel’s “farcical” editorial. New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence is not and nor have we ever been an “anti gun organization.”
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence funds 100 percent of these gun buybacks. The local police departments will not be spending a dime. We even buy them lunch.
Visel’s misinformed editorial promotes the dangerous position that any gun violence prevention measure is founded in the desire to implement “anti-gun” policies. This extreme and dangerous stance sounds like it is coming right out of the NRA handbook. Talk about farcical…
In a state where gun violence is having a devastating toll on our families and communities (in 2015, 405 people were shot and killed and thousands were injured), we at New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence know that getting these unwanted working firearms off the street is not a “farce,” but a life saving opportunity for all those that choose to participate.