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 Linda Thomas
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Seattle police say the gun buyback program ended early because of the large crowd. After two hours more than 160 guns had been turned in. They'll report the total results Monday morning. (Seattle PD photo)

Missile launcher turned in during Seattle's Gun Buyback

January 26, 2013 @ 3:30 pm (Updated: 3:42 pm - 1/26/13 )

A nonfunctional missile launcher was among the weapons that showed up Saturday at a gun buyback event in Seattle.

The military weapon was a single-use device that had already been used, according the Seattle PI. Another person in line offered bought the launcher, which police confiscated for a short time then returned after determining it was non-functioning.

Seattle police say the gun buyback program ended early because of the large crowd. After two hours more than 160 guns had been turned in and $35,000 in gift cards had been distributed.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and other leaders have praised the buyback effort, saying it will reduce gun violence. But statistics show a previous effort in Seattle failed to do that.

After a similar effort in 1992, the average number of firearms-related murders increased in Seattle.

The police department says over the weekend, they will tally up the total number of weapons turned in and gift cards distributed. The Mayor's Office will announce the total on Monday morning. listen to Seattle's Morning News - 97.3 KIRO FM - 5-9 Monday for the results.

Then the guns will be sent to Gun hell, where weapons collected in Seattle go to die.

By LINDA THOMAS

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Comments (12)


  • Add A Comment

  • circuitfr wrote...
    idiots
    January 26, 2013 2:42 pm
    wasting tax payer dollars to buy back an empty tube and pander to the idiots that read the news thinking a rocket launcher was removed from the streets. And before anyone tells me the gift cards were donates, go ahead and add up the man power, coordination, overtime, and hours put in by PUBLIC officials to do this crock of a show. Way to spend our tax dollars....but guess what? You aren't paying your fair share....So stinking frustrating that government thinks it's OK to criminally WASTE our money.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    I Feel Safer Already
    January 26, 2013 3:13 pm
    How many AR-15s were turned in, anyway?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Looks like M 1's and old hunting rifles.
    January 26, 2013 4:43 pm
    Well, at least the deer are a bit safer.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    BIG difference between a Missile and LAW Rocket!
    January 26, 2013 4:02 pm
    The media want's to make it sound like we disarmed Kim Jong-un or something on Seattle streets.It's legal to have a empty rocket launcher...Parrots.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Who cares about an inoperable missile launcher?
    January 26, 2013 4:10 pm
    Ba'al Zebub is supplying the Muslim Brotherhood with F-16s.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Burn_Notice wrote...
    Pffftt........
    January 26, 2013 4:59 pm
    Not a single one of the weapons in that picture would ever likely be used in a crime. Pile of old junk rifles. This is prime example of doing absolutely nothing to address the real issue, but it makes all the liberals feel good about themselves as if they are "making a difference".

    Here is how you make a difference; a massively improved mental health system. Not one of these mass killings whether be at a school, theatre or mall etc were perpetrated by a sane individual. They all had serious mental health issues that everyone in their lives knew about and yet couldn't do a thing about it; because in our lovely country you have the right to be insane and on the loose. Furthermore, it is not just guns that people use to kill others, how many crazy knife wielding incidents have we had as well?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    The ACLU...
    January 26, 2013 6:43 pm
    wouldn't have it any other way.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    Math doesn't add up?
    January 26, 2013 6:46 pm
    According to this and other stories, in the first two hours they collected 160 weapons and spent 35k. I wish someone would explain where the money went since even at $200 per "assault rifle" that would have only been 32k. But we know that most of the guns were NOT assault rifles and even with a little money going for magazines the math still doesn't add up.

    Maybe I'm just torqued because I also wanted to swap a rusty old shotgun for giftcard and they ran out just before I got there!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • deltta wrote...
    sghouse
    January 26, 2013 7:31 pm
    It's because they aren't telling the truth..... or they ran out of fingers and toes.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TheNewsChick wrote...
    Sghouse
    January 27, 2013 4:33 am
    They haven't released their total number of weapons collected/money spent yet. SPD will have the figures Monday morning.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Doesn't much matter, though..........
    January 27, 2013 8:10 am
    160 or 320 or even 500 weapons is a mear drop in the bucket for a city the size of Seattle. .... And, noted, most were old, unused rifles - likely many no longer functional - rather that the scary 'assault rifles' (as if the average area reported even knows a true assault rifle vs a look-alike.

    So, this gun buy-back essentially accomplished - nothing.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    With two days to cook the books...
    January 27, 2013 12:25 pm
    ..I'm sure it will 100% accurate...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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