CA Gun buyback yields sniper rifle, AK-47, other weapons

[ellisonz]

By Daniel Siegal

May 12, 2013, 9:18 a.m.
Thanks to a push from local faith-based organizations and an assist from the Pasadena Police Department, 135 guns were taken off the streets Saturday at the Pasadena Area Gun Buyback and Peace-source Fair.

More than a hundred gun owners drove up to the Pasadena PD and unloaded guns to be traded for gift certificates to Ralphs, Target and Best Buy stores.

According to Lt. Tracey Ibarra, of the weapons collected, about half were rifles and half were pistols — and there were some especially notable items, including an AK-47 assault rifle, an SKS assault rifle and a sniper rifle with scope that would be repurposed by the department for training use.

The gift certificates, which were purchased with the almost $20,000 raised by local churches and businesses, were given out in amounts of $50 for a handgun, $100 for a rifle and $200 for an assault rifle.

More: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ak47-sniper-rifle-135-guns-collected-at-buyback-20130512,0,4459223.story

[Half-Century Man]

1. Any other picture?

Might be some hyperbole here. Judging from the grips (as well as I can see), I can't say all of the guns are actual firearms. I have seen this in the past, BB-guns included as handguns, toy guns in the pile.
Photographs from a Rockford Il buyback prominently displayed a broken Daisy spring action pellet gun vaguely shaped like a 1911 colt and a co2 cylinder powered revolver styled pellet gun (you could clearly see the cylinder locking screw in the handle and the narrow pellet holding cylinder at the front of the fake cylinder.
I'm not the only one who sees this crap. When someone tries to sell ruined, toy , or pellet guns at a buy back it needs full disclosure. Accurately report firearms stories. Any/all chance/s to discredit will be exploited by the NRA.

[ellisonz]

2. Do you think the Pasadena Police Department is stupid? n/t

[Half-Century Man]

3. No, I think they have an agenda

At least the organizers of the buyback do. And the police obey the local politicians who are very concerned with appearances. As with many politicians are counting on people to be unobservant, it is very bad policy to be unobservant. Lay the guns out to be clearly seen. If you mention a specific gun, show it.

[ellisonz]

4. So you're saying they're liars? n/t

[Half-Century Man]

5. I'm going out on a limb here

I take it you haven't had much interaction with police, city government, or handled many firearms? Our officials are people and use the same verbal techniques in arguments we do. As with any level of government, I want transparency, full discloser before I completely trust them.
I simply asked if anyone knew of any more photos from this buyback. Is the photo used in the article actually from the buy back or just a stock photo used by the L.A. Times?
I can see Brownings, Colts, Rugers Tauruses, a Mosen nagant (?), unattached handles, and what appears to be a sawed off rifle.
If someone brought an illegally modified rifle, why wasn't it mentioned?

[ellisonz]

7. According to the L.A. Times, that's a photo of some of the guns turned in...

...but let's get back to how you're an expert and able to tell that the police are lying about the weapons turned in for political purposes. Do you have any specific evidence to this case?

[Half-Century Man]

9. I've Mentioned Rockford Illinios

About 12 years ago there was a gun buy back in Rockford Illinois in front of the Winnebago County Courthouse, which also houses the Public Safety Building. The front page color photograph of The Register Star had a photograph that prominently displayed a broken Daisy spring action pellet gun vaguely shaped like a 1911 colt. I had one of them when I was kid. There also was a co2 cylinder powered revolver shaped pellet gun. The CO2 cylinder locking screw at the center of the bottom of the grip was in plain sight. It looked like a Smith and Wesson model 29 (the Dirty Harry gun), but the cylinder (where the bullets are held) was a part of the frame. In front of the faux cylinder was a narrow ring (maybe 3/8", 1/4" front to back). I later found out that holds 8 .177 cal pellets.
Because I now look carefully, I have seen other examples of this and similar....camoflauge. One photo of an "arsenal" had two single shot .22 cal savage rifles, and what looked like a broken 12ga single shot shotgun. It may have been Randy Weavers stash, I'm not sure.
I just went over my posts on this issue. I did not say the Police uttered lies. I did insinuate that Police officers would follow the orders given them, up to and including not making an issue in front of the press, if a person in line turned in something which could no longer or never was able to fire a bullet. A gun buy back is a public relations event, the powers that be want to show a good image.

As far as any qualifications I hold as an expert on firearms. I have none. Nor have I ever heard of a college course in recognizing commercially produce domestic handguns. My only qual is I've been firing guns since late October of 1969, when I was 10. I've pulled a lot of triggers.

[ellisonz]

10. I can't even find a single gun nut mention of such a thing to corroborate your story.

Therefore, without some substantiation I must dismiss your supposed example. Also, even if true, I hardly think that perhaps a single isolated instance would be applicable to another cases over a decade later and more than a thousand miles away.

I just went over my posts on this issue. I did not say the Police uttered lies. I did insinuate that Police officers would follow the orders given them, up to and including not making an issue in front of the press, if a person in line turned in something which could no longer or never was able to fire a bullet. A gun buy back is a public relations event, the powers that be want to show a good image.

So you're calling the police officers tools of some vast conspiracy to deceive you about a Mother's Day gun buyback?

[Half-Century Man]

12. You can read, correct?

I am in favor of gun control legislation.
I am sorry you can't accept the fact that your own government lies to you with half truths and omissions. I have no idea where you might have gotten the concept that police are somehow magically transformed into morally superhuman beings. Good luck with that.

[Hoyt]

11. I bet you have "pulled a lot of triggers" and spent a lot of time trying to discredit attempts to

rein in the number of guns and gun cultists in our country.

[Half-Century Man]

13. Yes I have hunted and target shot quite a bit.

I am in favor of gun control.
I am against using half truths to strengthen the strongest side. It is unnecessary and disingenuous. It undermines our position. We should be striding proudly forward, not jerking ourselves off so we feel better.

[Hoyt]

14. You mean like the gun cultists do with their guns.

[Half-Century Man]

21. Here your sign

[Lurks Often]

6. They are either lying, pushing an agenda or know nothing about firearms

"SKS assault rifle" Seriously?

The SKS is from 1945 and holds only ten rounds in a FIXED magazine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS

So either the Pasadena PD is lying, pushing an agenda or know nothing about firearms.

[ellisonz]

8. Umm...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS#Variants

Also, I looked on gunbroker.com there are a wide variety of SKS type assault rifles for sale: http://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Rifles/BI.aspx?Keywords=sks

So in short, you're making some assumption about the use of terminology in this case as the basis for unfounded insults and allegations.

[Lurks Often]

15. Unfounded? Correctly describing a firearm is relevant,

and a semi-automatic rifle design from 1945 that uses a non-detachable, 10 round magazine is NOT an assault rifle by any definition, even the incorrect definition that refers to semi-automatic rifle accepting a detachable magazine.

This is also not the first time a CA police department has exaggerated or mis-identified something turned in during one of these buybacks.

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that they did it on purpose so that they can say the buyback was more of a success instead of saying that the buyback netted them 150+ rusty or worthless or non functioning guns.

As for unfounded insults and allegations, I see a LOT of those made about gun owners.

On edit: Here is a link, note that in the photo the reporter has incorrectly identified the SKS turned in as a AK-47:
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_23224746/inaugural-pasadena-gun-buyback-nets-135-weapons

[jmg257]

16. Why would you worry so much about how those

involved measure success? And whether someone described the guns exactly? YOU know what an SKS is. The SKS seller likely got $200 instead of $100 so bet he was happy someone called it an assault weapon/rifle.

Community fundraising money was used to buy unwanted guns. From the pics, looks like they did OK - SKS, woodmaster, shotguns, a bucketfull of decent handguns - some Rugers, a judge, semis, revolvers, a couple in boxes. A sniper type the PD will use, an AK reportedly.

So we have social gathering and unity, police out in the community, a choir performing, people cheerfully getting gift cards for unwanted items...sure looks like happy people all around.

Sure seems successful enough.

[Lurks Often]

17. As long as the success is reported honestly,

I have no problem with it. I do have a problem when things are inaccurately reported on politically sensitive subjects of ANY kind.

[Robb]

18. Can you cite an example of your universal concern?

[Lurks Often]

19. How about the reporting done about the Boston bombing?

Lots of horrible reporting and wild speculation there too.

[Robb]

20. Harped on that in the Massachusetts group, did you?

[CreekDog]

22. except you never commented on that, no, you only got interested in the reporting in a gun buyback