No Joke: Mexico Announces Gun Buyback

Gun buybacks are a common enough thing here in the United States that most of us don’t think all that much about it. Well, except maybe to make fun of them for not accomplishing anything.

And it’s true. Study after study shows that they do not reduce violent crime, and why would they? Criminals aren’t going to give up their guns for a fairly meager amount of money, especially since many of them feel like they need their guns. The only people who take advantage of these things are people with guns they want to get rid of but aren’t sure how.

Despite that, it seems Mexico has decided that’s the secret to dealing with their rampant violent crime issue.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday officially launched a campaign to crack down on the number of weapons on the country’s violence-wracked streets.

The plan, called “Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace,” will offer cash to those who anonymously leave weapons at designated drop-off locations, including churches.

Gun owners will get 8,700 pesos ($430) for a revolver, 25,000 pesos ($1,200) for an AK-47 rifle and 26,450 pesos ($1,300) for a machine gun. The firearms are then to be destroyed.

The disarmament plan is part of the government’s “integral strategy” for fighting crime.

“Why must we teach our children anything about violence?” Sheinbaum said at a launch event, which featured the symbolic destruction of a weapon by soldiers.

It seems kids could also turn their toy guns in for other toys, because that’s the real problem in Mexico and not terrorist criminal organizations having control of large portions of the country.

Now, let’s understand how this buyback is going to work.

At best, people are going to get rid of guns their loved ones left behind that they don’t know what to do with. They’ll turn them in and get a few bucks and call it a day. Others will manufacture guns of their own for a fraction of what they’d get on the buyback. P.A. Luty’s book is still out there for anyone interested in taking a look, after all. 

Submachine guns built for a few bucks with hardware store parts to get $1,300? That’s quite the return on investment, if you ask me.

Do you know who won’t be turning in guns?

That’s right, the cartels.

They’re not going to turn in a damn thing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they robbed some of these drop-off points just to get more firearms. They’re definitely not going to turn in any machine guns for just $1,300. I sure wouldn’t, especially with what a legal, transferable machine gun costs here in the United States. I can’t imagine it’s any cheaper to get on in Mexico.

Sheinbaum hasn’t really impressed me very much as president of Mexico. Then again, she’s the Mexican president and I’m not Mexican. She doesn’t have to impress me.

But if this is the best she can come up with to curtail cartel violence, then the people of that country are completely and absolutely screwed. 

We know that our rather pedestrian criminals aren’t giving up guns in buybacks no matter what you offer. It’s even less likely that the cartels would do any such thing.