Weapons Returned

Police were paying $200 apiece for semiautomatic or assault weapons, $150 for handguns and $100 for long guns — in the form of Visa gift cards — but ran out after distributing $12,500 worth of gift cards and collecting 123 weapons.

“I can’t say ‘surprised’; I’d say ‘pleased,’ ” said Santa Fe Police Chief Raymond Rael when asked his reaction to Saturday’s turnout. Rael said that about 25 or 30 people were still in line when police ran out of gift cards donated by Wells Fargo Bank.

While they continued to accept guns from those willing to waive amnesty under the program, or who were not interested in receiving payment, police invited others to return for the other buybacks scheduled Feb. 9 and March 9.

Rael said $25,000 in city funding paid for the program.

“We’ll probably be asking the city council for additional money, and we’ll look for other corporate sponsors to help us out,” he said.

By 3 p.m., when the event was scheduled to end, police had collected a total of 194 weapons. Included were 53 semiautomatic handguns, 47 revolvers, 57 rifles, 31 shotguns and six assault weapons.

The guns were received with no questions asked. As people entered, an armorer checked the guns to make sure they were unloaded and in working condition. The make, model and serial numbers were recorded and people were awarded a gift card.

Rael said the serial numbers were then checked to make sure the weapons hadn’t been reported stolen or used in a crime. Any stolen guns would be returned to their rightful owner and the proper law enforcement authority would be notified, he said.

Antique guns were to be offered to museums, the police chief said. The rest will be destroyed.

“Any weapon you can take off the street reduces the chances of someone committing suicide, a child getting their hands on one or it being stolen,” Rael said. “There are a lot of guns out there, and any we can get off the streets is one less problem and may help to avert a tragedy.”

Sean Christen waits in line to turn in two black powder guns during the first in a series of Santa Fe gun buyback events Saturday.

Aiming for changes

Last month’s Newtown, Conn., school shootings, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults, triggered the buyback offer in Santa Fe, Mayor David Coss said.

“I really believe in the wake of Newtown it’s important to act and move the discussion forward,” said Coss, who tomorrow, on the one-month anniversary of the Newtown shootings, joins mayors across the country in press conferences to call on President Obama and Congress to take immediate steps to end gun violence.

Coss, who owns two guns he uses for hunting, will also travel to Washington, D.C., later this week to join other members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns to lobby Congress to support changing gun laws.

“We need to move strongly and dramatically to change how the U.S. relates to guns,” Coss said. “The NRA has too tight of a lock and a lot of us have said, ‘You know, we can’t be silent anymore.’ ”

Coss said the mayors’ group will push for reforms that include requirements that every person who buys a gun pass a criminal background check. Removing high-capacity weapons and magazines from the streets and making gun trafficking a federal crime are also among the reforms sought by the group.

Coss said a tragedy like Newtown could easily happen in Santa Fe, adding that he’s seen too many promising young people die due to gun violence.

“Just this week, we had a merchant downtown fire off five rounds, and we’ve had three murders in Santa Fe County in the past couple of weeks,” he said. “So I appreciate seeing Santa Feans coming out on such a cold morning to do this. I’m sorry we waited so long.”

Unloading arsenals

Not everyone who showed up Saturday morning was from Santa Fe.

Jeff Ortiz drove up from Albuquerque.

“I have some extra guns laying around the house that were just collecting dust,” said Ortiz, who left six guns at home. “I thought I’d come up here and get $100 for this one. It’s probably not even worth that much.”

An NRA member, Ortiz said he supported stricter gun laws.

“I think gun control is a good thing. It keeps them out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them,” he said.

Santa Fe Police inspect weapons brought in during the city’s gun buyback event Saturday. (EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL)

Debbie Thompson is a lifetime member of the NRA, who came to the buyback with her two daughters to get rid of a .380 caliber pistol she hasn’t used in years.

“I’m just doing this because it’s been locked up in the closet for two years, and it makes no sense keeping it around,” she said.

Thompson said she wasn’t in favor of stricter gun laws.

“When my 17-year-old daughter can go out on the street and buy a gun that’s bigger and better than the one I have, I don’t think it’s right to tell me I can’t own a gun,” she said. “My gun has never shot anything I haven’t aimed it at. I’m getting rid of this one, and it’ll make room for a new one.”

Kyle Smith of Santa Fe said he was there to dispose of two shotguns he hasn’t used in years. He said he was turning them in to make sure they didn’t get into the wrong hands.

“I think there should be a lot less guns, especially handguns,” he said. “All they are meant to do is kill people, so anything we get off the streets makes us safer. A lot of guns end up hurting people they aren’t meant to hurt. They aren’t as safe as people think.”

Right to bear arms

Santa Fe’s Greg Walsh showed up unarmed. His purpose for being there was to educate people about responsible gun ownership.

“I’m making sure people are aware of their rights, what the fair market value is and, most importantly, responsible ownership.” said Walsh, who said he wasn’t attending as a representative of any gun advocacy group.

He was passing out fliers that addressed such topics as responsible storage and handling of firearms and people’s rights as gun owners.

While not protesting the event, Walsh said he was against the city buybacks.

“I think it’s poor public policy and that they are exploiting the nation’s grief for political advantage,” he said. “I think it’s exploiting taxpayers and trivializes the Bill of Rights.”

Three like-minded people were standing on the sidewalk near the driveway holding sings that read, “Protect the 2nd Amendment” and “100% Legal.” They were trying to get people to sell guns to them, offering $50 more than the police.

They declined to identify themselves, saying only they were from Albuquerque and purchasing guns for their private collection.

“We’re just buying back guns to keep them from being melted down,” one man said. “What we’re seeing here with the buyback is a waste of taxpayer money.”

By 10 a.m., the three had purchased 18 weapons, mostly long guns.