From public safety spokesman Kevin Coughlin:
More than 125 firearms were taken off of the streets yesterday, thanks to Bridgeport’s Gun Buyback program initiated by Mayor Bill Finch and hosted by the Bridgeport Police Department.
This latest installment of Bridgeport’s Gun Buyback program, which was held on Saturday at the Bridgeport Police Department’s Community Services Division at 1395 Sylvan Ave., resulted in a total of 127 firearms being bought.
“Taking action against gun violence–and the use or trafficking of illegal guns–has always been, and remains, a top priority for me and my administration,” said Mayor Finch.
“Our Gun Buyback program has proven to be successful, taking in more than 1,000 guns since we initiated the program several years ago. Guns that are purchased as part of this program can never be used to hurt or kill ever again. I strongly believe that this effort has saved lives and has made Bridgeport a safer place for kids and families. Even if this program saves one life, it is money well spent.”
As part of the program, the Bridgeport offers up to $200 for a working handgun. People turning in rifles will receive up to $100. A weapon determined to be an assault rifle will be eligible for up to $400.
Bridgeport’s Gun Buyback program began in 2012 and has resulted in taking more than 1,000 guns off the street.
The previous installment of Bridgeport’s Gun Buyback program took place on July 18, and resulted in taking 100 additional guns off the street, including 5 assault weapons.
“Every gun that is turned in is a gun that won’t end up on the street in the hands of a criminal or in the hands of a child who could accidentally injure himself or someone else,” said Police Chief Gaudett.
“The police department works hard every day to keep our kids and families safe. This is another tool that helps keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
The Gun Buyback is part of an comprehensive strategy to reduce violence and crack down on illegal gun use and trafficking in the city.
The police department has added additional walking beats in targeted areas across the city. And, the police department plans to add 100 officers in the next 18-24 months.
Mayor Finch and the police department have partnered with state and federal law enforcement in Project Longevity, which helps people who commit violence off of our streets while offering support to folks who want to turn their lives around.
And, every day, the police department crime analysis unit and area commanders look for emerging crime trends and shift resources as needed.
This is a crock of shit, period. End of story. “Taking action against gun violence–and the use or trafficking of illegal guns–has always been, and remains, a top priority for me and my administration,” said Mayor Finch. Yeah right, and if pigs had wings they could fly. Gun violence hasn’t been a priority for the Finch administration because most of the time it occurs in housing projects and low-income neighborhoods with minority populations. If it weren’t for convicted felon Joe Ganim making gun violence a political issue the mayor and his puppeteers could no longer ignore, Tax Bill wouldn’t have done a damned thing about it.
There have been six reported shootings since the last buyback program. The key word is “reported.” The local emergency rooms see gunshot victims every blessed day. We should all give thanks to the dedicated healthcare professionals who have to deal with the results of Tax Bill Finch’s top administrative priority.
How many guns came from the suburbs?
How many guns were purchased from Bridgeport residents? That’s what we want to know. Enough with the window dressing. Where are the statistics? Provide them or this was another Finch and Pecker show.
Lennie, since you are using your considerable influence, would you find out how many Bridgeport residents turned in guns during these years that are being touted by Mayor Finch and Chief Gaudett. Inquiring minds would like to know.
There are no questions asked at these buyback events, so you won’t find any information about anything or anyone.
Finch and Gaudett have expanded the list of accepted weapons to include cap guns and water pistols.
It would be interesting to know if 125 firearms were stolen from private residences over the past weeks. That’s what usually happens. Whenever there is an upcoming buyback of guns, there are usually more break-ins leading up to the buyback!!!
When a city announces with much fanfare and media coverage they are instituting a “Gun Buyback Program,” everyone smiles and thinks great, we are going to get all these guns off the street and we will be safer because of it, that’s wonderful, and are in total support of this effort. The politicians believe the public will perceive them as caring and forthright, the Police Department believes the citizens will see them as trying to solve a problem and trustworthy, the Corporations and concerns that donate great sums of money to the programs believe this to be the solution and they will be seen as benevolent to the community. First and foremost, I say these programs will take guns out of the hands of some citizens, but for the most part don’t even scratch the surface of the underlying problem. For the most part they are processes that are put together quickly (usually a knee-jerk response to another problem) and are not well thought out and are the program instead of being a part of a more comprehensive effort to diminish gun violence in a city. More credence is given to the number of guns collected than to where they actually come from. Mostly what you collect during these programs are weapons legal owners don’t want anymore and the occasional mom who was cleaning junior’s room and happened upon a gun and is turning that one in.
First of all, the crux of any real effort should be concentrated on and in the neighborhoods where gun violence is the problem, oftentimes those guns are held by people who play by a different set of rules, those people would no more give up their guns than a carpenter would be willing to part with his hammer. For that segment of society a more intense program would have to be in place. First of all you need a real top-to-bottom community policing program in effect, if the community doesn’t trust you or believe they are partnered with you, no inroads can be made, trust is one of the pillars of a good community policing program, that would probably lead to a situation making it possible for a fully focused gun buyback program to be a successful cornerstone.
Guns are instruments of destruction used to instill fear and to intimidate people in impoverished neighborhoods where most of this crime occurs. They are used and brandished to further negative ends in the community, some would even say they need them for protection in such environments. Logic would dictate maybe the place to start may be spending that money to positively raise the economic condition of the people who reside there (a Comprehensive Jobs Program), maybe bring quality youth intervention programs (DARE, GREAT, PAL) to the table, maybe recreational programs, maybe programs that appeal to the creative forces (Arts and Music) in people would help, maybe trying to find a way to increase civic pride would help, Educational Programs ALL utilizing The Police Department on a continuum and lastly maybe spending some of that money to increase the value of life itself to the people in those neighborhoods would cut into the gun violence rate. Just a thought.