Sammy Davis, Jr.’s Gun Turns up at L.A. Gun Buyback

The May 7 Los Angeles gun buyback brought in 791 guns, including one that belonged to Sammy Davis, Jr.

The guns will be melted or otherwise destroyed.

The buyback is an annual event in which persons turning in guns receive a $100 gift certificate for guns in decent shape and a $200 certificate for guns in the best shape. According to Southern California Public Radio’s KPCC, the city took in “364 handguns, 237 rifles, 144 shotguns and 42 assault weapons were bought back at two locations.” Four other non-categorized firearms were also taken in.

One of the non-categorized firearms was “was a gun designed to look like a pen — registered to legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.” The pen gun was “government-issued.”

Checks on the 791 guns revealed 12 were “lost or stolen,” and those 12 will be offered back to their owners. The owners will also be given the option to leave the guns with law enforcement so they can be destroyed.

Los Angeles is one of several cities in California to stage gun buybacks as part of voluntary efforts at gun control. The results have been less than spectacular. In 2012, reporting on a buyback in the wake of the Sandy Hook mass shooting, Reuters noted:

While officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere have said the gun buybacks help keep streets safe, a 2004 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies questioned that conclusion.

Among the report’s findings were that guns surrendered in buybacks tend to be old or inherited from previous owners, and not likely to be used in crime. Also, gun owners find it easy to replace their firearms, according to the report, which was titled “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.