A gun buyback program is being hailed a success by city officials but some residents are troubled by the recent spike in violence, including two shootings in Buffalo in the last 24 hours.
The Gun Buyback Program is exactly as how it is billed: the city will buy back your gun, no questions asked. Its an effort to take weapons off the streets. But residents who live in the neighborhoods where the gun warfare is waged say that this program is not staving off the summer spike in violence.
Jack Saviola picks up a tattered piece of yellow crime scene tape. "More crime scene tape," he said. "This is getting to be regular occurrence in this neighborhood." Saviola has lived in this westside neighborhood for 22 years, and he's seen it go from bad to worse.
"Since the last 6AM drug sweep about three months ago, there's been more violent crimes up and down this block than anywhere else in the city," said Saviola.
Last night, two teen boys were shot while riding their bikes at the corner of Auburn Avenue and Dewitt. And this morning on Plymouth Avenue, someone was shot in the leg. All victims are expected to live, and Saviola doesn't expect anything about this culture of street warfare to change.
"I'm not hearing anything from city officials. They're talking about gun buybacks and job programs. They're not doing anything to get these punks off the streets," said Saviola.
The Gun Buyback Program was launched three years ago, as a response to the high number of shootings and homicides. Today at seven different locations in the city, people could turn in their guns, no questions asked, in exchange for a prepaid credit card.
"If you have a gun that you don't want in your home, turn it in. If you have a gun even that's been used in a crime, turn it in," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
Some think it's a genius plan to stamp out violence. "I think its excellent. Every gun they get off the street does nothing but help the citizens and the police department," said Buffalo resident Fran Reichmeyer, who turned in a pistol and an air rifle today.
But others say the plan isn't working. "It's a well meaning program and it may have some negligible effect but these kids know that easy enough to take a quick drive down to Ohio and come back with a truck load of guns, and they do it regularly," said Saviola.
Statistically speaking, Buffalo's overall crime rate is down. "Statistics don't matter certainly when people have lost their lives. Any one homicide is one too many," said Brown.
At the close of the program, 711 guns were collected and $35,000 was handed out to participants. The city pays anywhere from $10 to $100 for a turned in gun.
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