From CT Post reporter Fausto Giovanny Pinto:
After waiting hours to turn in their weapons to make the streets safer, or just earn a few bucks, more than 20 grumbling gun owners walked back into the North End, rifles and pistols in tow.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have run out of funds. Everyone else will have to wait for another event,” an officer told the crowd waiting Saturday at the Police Department Community Services Division on Sylvan Avenue.One lucky gun owner was able to nab the last $65 in exchange for his pistol. A mother-and-daughter duo were so upset they just left their shotgun and rifle without the cash.
“Somebody better tell them that if they want more guns, they better get more organized,” said a man who gave only his first name as Rick.
Full story here.
This buyback program further illustrates the ineptitude of Mayor Finch. According to the Post article most of those who had the opportunity to take advantage of the buyback program were from the suburbs and not Bridgeport. It defies credulity when Bill Kaempffer, police spokesman says, “Programs like this make Bridgeport and our neighboring towns safer. And it shows that people feel safer with guns off the street and out of their houses.” When did it become the responsibility of Bridgeport to make the surrounding communities safer? What have the surrounding communities done to make Bridgeport a safer community?
This program and its implementation shows Mayor Finch is more concerned with what’s best for surrounding communities than what’s best for Bridgeport and its residents. To hold this program in the shadow of the deadly shooting and killing of Bridgeport residents while suburban whites are the recipient of the their guns being taken off the streets is a smack in the face of the residents of the Terrace. Mayor Finch needs to be ashamed of himself and if this isn’t reason for the black community to vote for anyone except Tax Bill then I don’t know what it takes.
Again Donald Day, do you ever get tired of making everything a black issue? Is this blog going to be your venue for getting the black community to support Joseph Ganim? Do you imagine the citywide black community does not acknowledge the great things he has done for Bridgeport? Your attempt to make Joe Ganim the first black Mayor is a joke!
Tax Bill Finch,
Paying suburbanites to come to Bridgeport to turn in their guns.
So Bill, how exactly is it you determined previous buyback programs were successful as you claim???
Gun violence in the suburbs dropped?
Another failure for Tax Bill. So sad.
My post has absolutely nothing to do with Joe Ganim being mayor of Bridgeport, my supporting Joe or whether I’m trying to make him the first black mayor of Bridgeport. Have no doubt in your narrow little mind, I’m saying Mayor Finch has again let down the residents of Bridgeport with his convoluted gun buyback program. His continued failures of Bridgeport is mind numbing.
As to my making everything a black issue, let there be no doubt in your narrow little mind I believe everything in America is about race. Let there be no doubt in your narrow little mind I will continue to be the voice of blackness on this forum for those who can’t or won’t say what needs to be said with respect to race. I’ve been an activist for the black experience my whole life and will continue to do so irrespective of what you think, feel or believe.
Don, all one has to do is to ask Republican Colin Powell and Democrat Barack Obama that it’s always about race, in fact if those two were together in New York City at night trying to catch a cab they would have a hard time.
Don–do you have a color television or do you prefer black and white? Just curious.
pcf, for your edification black and white are colors, fool. Don’t try to get into a war of words with an unloaded gun, fool.
pcf, pun unintended.
DDay–thanks for the laugh. I read your reply using a Mr. T voice. Funny stuff. While it is true black and white are colors, they aren’t the only ones. I pity the fool who doesn’t understand this simple concept.
Scientifically speaking, white is the presence of all colors. Black is the absence of all color.
I am a gun-control advocate. I believe mentally stable, law-abiding people should be able to own safely stored/maintained, non-assault-type weapons for their own protection, target shooting, and hunting. That being said, I believe gun production, import, and sales should be strictly regulated, with strict criminal and mental health background checks/waiting periods for purchase applicants as part of federal law (with strict violation penalties/liability provisions) for gun purchasers and sellers in all 50 states.
But gun buy-ack programs are likely to only stimulate trade-up sales by the sellers so they can upgrade to new, more lethal weapons. Criminals, terrorists and unstable individuals who use–or have fantasies/plans to use–guns in their activities are not very likely to give up their most useful tools!
Gun buyback programs would seem to be basically stupid and counterproductive.
BPD and the mayor need to collect money to put more cameras, street police officers, and more detectives/forensics investigators to work in preventing crime and solving murders and violent crime cases in Bridgeport.
The home invasion case in Lake Forest, in which the elderly woman was almost killed, has still not produced any suspects.
The gang terrorism mass shootings/murder at Trumbull Gardens still hasn’t produced suspects.
This administration is not operating in real space. Hello!!! Where are you Mayor Bill Finch and Police Chief Gaudett??? (The rest of us are in Bridgeport.)
Gun buyback programs do not make an appreciable DIFFERENCE IN REDUCING THE NUMBER OF GUNS ON THE STREET.