We are not sure if the police department in Baltimore expected to receive this when they planned their recent gun buyback program. They received over a thousand weapons in their newest collection, and it included a rocket launcher.
This is the third buyback event held in the city thus far. The first two in Baltimore yielded 1,089 firearms. The weapons collected by the police included 509 handguns, 273 rifles, 245 shotguns and a rocket launcher. The city of Baltimore paid $500 for the rocket launcher, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Gary Tuggle who is the interim police commissioner said on Friday that the department had reached out to the military and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine the rocket launcher’s origin. The Associated Press report was turned in last week.
All in all, the city has paid out about $163,000 so far as part of the program.
A spokesman for Mayor Catherine Pugh told The Sun that $250,000 from miscellaneous expenses has been made available to cover the cost of the gun buyback initiative.
Not everyone in the city is in favor of the buyback program. Some Baltimore residents have criticized the program as ineffective against guns coming into the city from outside jurisdictions or as a collection of mostly broke and antique guns. Commissioner Tuggle said that his department remains committed to destroying guns that could be used in crimes or stolen by perpetrators.
“If they’re not in existence, they’re not in the home, they can’t be used, they can’t be stolen. They won’t contribute to our violence,” he said.
What do you think of this program? Do you think it is an effective means of curbing gun violence in cities like Baltimore? What are your thoughts about someone turning in a rocket launcher?
We look forward to seeing your comments in the section below this article.
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