Washington ‘Buyback’ Comes With Ridiculous Rules

The state of Texas may soon become the first in the nation to prohibit county and city governments from holding gun “buybacks”, and while some red states could follow suit these compensated confiscation efforts are going to continue… especially in anti-gun and Democrat-run locales. 

This weekend the city of Bellevue, Washington (home to the Second Amendment Foundation, incidentally), is hosting a gun turn-in event where folks can hand over firearms in exchange for gift cards. The funds for the “buyback” come from a grant from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, though it’s unclear where it is getting the money from; taxpayer dollars, federal grants, or funds from asset seizures. 

The city of Bellevue’s information page on the “buyback” doesn’t say how much people will get for turning in their guns, but they do lay out several ridiculous requirements for those saps who want to participate. 

 Event attendees and community members are prohibited from handling or exchanging firearms on the event premises. If Officers observe this behavior, the parties involved will be reminded of Washington’s firearm transfer laws and asked to leave the parking lot. Any refusal to leave or behavior which otherwise interferes with an officer’s ability to perform their job or compromises the safety of the event and/or event participants may result in action, including arrest. If the person refuses to leave, patrol may be called in to handle the situation to keep the event moving. 

In other words, don’t show up trying to buy someone’s gun instead of watching it get turned over to be destroyed. At least, that’s the idea. I don’t think the Bellevue PD could stop someone from inquiring if a gun owner would rather get more money through a private sale, but since Washington has a “universal” background check law (and a 10-day waiting period) those transfers would have to take place through a local FFL. 

I also wonder how someone can actually exchange a firearm for a gift card if they’re not allowed to handle the firearm, especially since the Bellevue city government neglected to inform attendees about where they should have their firearms when they show up this weekend. Keep the guns in the trunk? In the back seat? Who knows? Apparenty that’s one of those unimportant details, at least to the organizers. 

The city requires that participants live in either Bellevue itself or the surrounding King County, but it also promises that attendees can turn in their guns “anonymously and without identification required”. Proof of residency, however, is required. So how do you prove that you live in King County without revealing your name? 

BPD will not record participants’ names or otherwise conduct records checks. Participants may cover their names when showing proof of residency to event staff. 

There’s nothing stopping someone from showing an electric bill, library card, or some other proof of residency that belongs to a friend or family member instead of themselves. You can have anonymity, and you can require proof of residency, but you can’t have both. 

Assuming the prices for the Bellevue compensated confiscation event are the same as other King County “buybacks” that have been held this year, someone can get up to (note the caveat) $100 for handguns as well as some rifles and shotguns. Arms defined as “assault weapons” could be worth a $200 gift card. That’s decent money… so long as the guns in question are rusty, busted, and inoperable. Most firearms in good working condition, however, are going to be worth more than that if you sell it to an FFL or on consignment through a gun shop. 

These “buybacks” are a waste of time and money, and anyone in the Bellevue area looking to get rid of one or more firearms in their collection (or gathering dust in an attic, basement, or closet) would be much better off taking them to a place like Wade’s Eastside Guns, 2nd Amendment Industries, or West Coast Armory to see if there’s any interest. They’ll probably end up with more cash in their pocket, and they won’t have to feel icky about taking part in a compensated confiscation program.