GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In an effort to curb violent crime in Grand Rapids, city leaders are considering another gun buyback program.
In October and November of 2020, Grand Rapids hosted two gun buybacks where a total of 267 guns were turned in in exchange for $34,000 in gift cards.
Now, the city's SAFE Task Force is recommending another one.
Grand Rapids City Commission will vote on it Tuesday.
The main goal is to lower the number of illegal guns on the streets.
The program would utilize $40,000 already allocated to the SAFE Task Force.
That money would go towards promotion, engagement and, of course, buying back guns.
This time the program would only award gift cards for two categories of guns.
Tier one includes assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns, which would get $200 each.
Tier two includes revolvers, shotguns and rifles, which would get $100 each.
But all unwanted firearms would be accepted for safe disposal.
If approved, the buyback would happen later this summer.
The Grand Rapids Police Department would oversee the program.
The task force believes removing these kinds of weapons from the streets limits criminals’ access and ultimately makes the community safer.
But a 2021 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research casts a shadow over that claim.
Researchers found that gun buyback programs are an "ineffective policy strategy to reduce gun violence."
The study cites three reasons:
- buyback prices are too low, meaning people aren't incentivized to turn in their firearms.
- participants come from populations with low crime risk.
- the weapons exchanged tend to be "older and less well-functioning than the average firearm."
The study goes on to say that alternative firearm policies, like safe storage laws or stricter background checks, may be more effective at deterring gun violence.
National Bureau of Economic Research Gun Buyback Study by WXMI on Scribd
Grand Rapids city commissioners are set to vote on the proposed gun buyback program at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Here’s a look at the number of Grand Rapids weapon law violations per month. GRPD defines weapon law violations as “the violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment, or use of firearms, cutting instruments, explosives, incendiary devices, or other deadly weapons.”
