From: joeha@microsoft.com (Joseph Harper)
Subject: Seattle Buy-Back Update
Date: 03 Sep 92 17:55:10 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.
Keywords: dumb idiotic not worth it

T.P.G. readers:

I am reporting this for information and discussion
purposes only.  I do not agree with the group Stop
the Violence or that a gun-buy back program is
effective.  All typographical errors are my own
doing.

This is a followup to Alane@microsoft.com's
article concering the first day's buyback.

RevolverMan
==========

Reprinted without permission:

Seattle Times, Wednesday Sept 2, 1992, page B1.

Seattle's two-week gun buy-back program was
holstered at mid-day today as sponsors ran out of
money.

By noon 211 weapons were turned in to Seattle
police precincts in exchange for $50 bank vouchers
in the no-questions-asked program.  That exceeded
yesterday's first day total of 204 for the whole
day.  And it exceeded the $20,000 that the
sponsors had collected.

"We had to turn people away" shortly before noon,
said Vinnette Tichi, police spokesperson.  "This
is really a successful program to have that number
before noon," she added.  "And we're still getting
a lot of calls from people."

Kay Godefroy, treasurer for Stop the Violence, the
nonprofit group formed to try to get handguns off
the streets and out of the hands of the city's
young people, said, "If we get more money in we'll
open up again.  If we don't we're going to regroup
and see if we want to try again later."

"We printed enough vouchers for 200 guns for the
first day," said Godefroy, who is also executive
director of the Seattle Neighborhood Group, which
is handling the books for the project.

The group had hoped to raise $100,000 -- enough
for 2,000 guns -- for a buy-back running from
yesterday until September 15.  But it has
collected only about $20,000.  

"We had pledges and commitments for more, but
until the money hits the bank, we can't issue
vouchers," Godefroy said.

"People can go to any branch of First Interstate
Bank and write a check (payable to "Stop the
Violence"), and we can issue a voucher the same
day," Godefroy said.  "So if they give us $50
tomorrow, we can buy a gun back tomorrow with that
$50."

James Kelly, Stop the Violence president, said the
turnout was unforeseen.

"It certainly exceeded our wildest expectations,"
Kelly said.  he said St. Louis and other gun buy-
back cities experienced similiar surges, and
sponsors had to raise more money.

"We're going to be telling folks to come back
later," Kelly predicted.  "We'll be doubling our
efforts to solicit funds from businesses and
individuals.  I strongly believe the overwhelming
success of this program will keep it going.

"We haven't heard from a lot of people in the
corporate community," he said.  Corporations
should join the effort, not for the sake of the
project, but to help make "children feel safe in
their neighborhoods and in their schools," he
said.

Weapons turned in yesterday included everything
from an 1896 model handgun to a sawed-off shotgun,
both deposited at the South (Seattle) precinct.

Handguns are accepted at any of the four police
precincts.

The project grew out of a community forum held in
April after a bloody weekend in which several
young African Americans were killed in shootings.. 
The gun buy-back was one of 46 ideas -- ranging
from better education and job training to small-
business loans -- suggested as ways to combat the
rising tide of violence among young people. 
Godefroy added, though, that the program is not
targeted just at African-American youths, but at
all of the area's young people.

Whether the project will meet its goal of getting
weapons out of young people's hands may be answer
in a research project being conducted by the
Harborview Injury Prevention Research Center. 
With each voucher, the donor also receives an
anonymous questionaire.

Fred Rivara, center director, said Charles
Callahan, research associate, will try to
determine whether the guns were turned in by
"people most likely to misuse them."  The study
asks questions on age and sex, why the person had
the weapon and why he or she turned it in.

The program has been endorsed by city government
and law-enforcement officials, but some African-
American groups, including Mothers Against Police
Harassment, have been critical.

The critics have placed leaflets in low-income
housing areas warning that they fear the weapons
could be traced to donors.

--End--
==========

It's sad that there were 45 other ideas that
probably would have worked better than this one
for stopping crime and violence.

RevolverMan
joeha@microsoft.com

**************************************************
*
I may not agree with your use of a high-capacity,
anemic-powered, magazine fed, unreliable, peanut
butter and jamamatic, self-shucking, semi-
automatic, cruntchenticker -- but I'll defend unto
death your right to carry it.
***************************************************