U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- A gun turn-in event was sponsored by the Florida city of Pensacola on 20 March 2021. Numerous sources are claiming some homemade shotguns were sold to the city at the event. The picture above shows the guns the city says they purchased. The homemade shotguns are not among them.
The City says the homemade guns were not purchased. From Facebook:
RUMOR ALERT: There is an inaccurate post circulating from Saturday’s gun buyback event with a photo of a homemade gun. The homemade gun pictured was NOT purchased by the City of Pensacola. Here are photos of the guns that were actually purchased at the event. As a reminder, this event was 100% VOLUNTARY, and all guns purchased were from citizens who participated voluntarily.
This picture from the actual event and told by multiple witnesses? Just want to be clear
City of Pensacola – Government wrote:
The gun was brought to the event, but was not purchased by the city.
Another poster on Facebook claims the guns were bought.
Newscolony.com writes the three Boomstick 1776 pipe guns were purchased by the city. From newscolony.com:
Members of the local Second Admendment advocacy group Escambia Carry showed up to the event with a sign that read “Don’t Get Ripped Off By The City With This Stupid Gun “Buyback’ Program – See Me To Get Fair Market Value For Your Firearm.”
“Other than these rifles, the vast majority were junk,” Escambia Carry’s Jeremy Bosso said in a Facebook post. “Numerous people told us they sold their old junk guns to buy new firearms. Someone sold a Marine Emergency Flare gun. Other attendees had air pistols (BB/pellet guns). The City ran out of money by 9:27am – less than 30 minutes into the event.”
One man showed with three homemade “Boom Stick 1776” pipe shotguns, which were sold sold to police after he demonstrated that they were operable.
This correspondent checked with Escambria Carry. The posters there did not say the slam fire homemade shotguns were purchased. Jeremy Bosso says they were approved to be purchased. From Escambia carryon facebook:
The gentleman selling the “Boom Stick 1776” shotguns told me he called the City rep beforehand and asked if they would purchase a single-shot shotgun – because the flier said they were buying semi-automatic firearms. Allegedly, he was told they would pay $125 for single-shot shotguns.
I realize the “Boom Stick 1776” was homemade, but it was apparently a functional single-shot shotgun (a “slam fire shotgun”).
There are quite a few interesting pictures of “slam fire shotguns” on Google Images.
Jeremy Bosso took the time to clarify what happened on the Pensacola City facebook page. From facebook:
Jeremy Bosso
UPDATE: To clarify, these are my pictures. I was standing right there.
The gentleman selling the “Boom Stick 1776” shotguns told me he called the City rep before the event, and asked if they would purchase a single-shot shotgun – because the flier said they were buying semi-automatic firearms. Allegedly, he was told they would pay $125 for single-shot shotguns. So he attended the event.At the checkpoint, he did have to demonstrate that they were functional (they were), and he was sent to the payment line, guns in hand. However, while standing in line, they informed everyone that they had run out of money – about 27 minutes after the start.I realize the “Boom Stick 1776” was homemade, but it was apparently a functional single-shot shotgun (a “slam fire shotgun”). You can find some pretty interesting images online of said “slam fire shotguns.
Jeremy makes clear: The homemade guns would have been purchased, but the city ran out of money before they reached the head of the line.
The lesson: If you wish to take advantage of one of these programs, get there early.
Some private purchasers did just that and were rewarded for their efforts.
The guns purchased by the private buyers appear to be a Ruger 1022 with scope, an SKS, and a double-barreled shotgun.
The Pensacola News Journal reports71 guns were collected, expending the $10,000 budget in 27 minutes.
Prices for the program were set at $150 for semi-automatic pistols, $125 for revolvers and $200 for semi-automatic rifles.
Robinson announced at his press conference that 63 guns were purchased, but city officials later clarified that 71 guns were collected at the event. The city only paid for 68 of the guns, as three of them were turned over without payment after funds had run out.
From the pictures of the guns purchased, as displayed on Facebook, this correspondent was able to tentatively identify the following:
- 21 revolvers listed at $125 each, or $2,625.
- 27 semi-auto pistols, listed at $150, or $4,050.
- 1 derringer, unknown price
- 11 semi-auto .22 rifles, 1 unknown semi-auto, listed at $200, or $2,400
- 1 semi-auto shotgun, unknown price
- 3 single-shot shotguns, unknown price
- 1 carcano military bolt gun, unknown price
- 1 single-shot .22, unknown price
- 2 undetermined guns, unknown price.
The known prices come to $9,075, leaving $925 to pay for the semi-auto shotgun, bolt guns, single-shot shotguns, and undetermined guns, a total of 9 guns. It seems to be about right.
Before the current bubble, many .22 semi-auto rifles could be purchased for under $200, brand new.
The Remington 550 would have been a good deal, if it were working, for $200. The Carcano is worth more than $125. Most of the handguns appear to be inexpensive, with retail values somewhat less than what was offered by the city.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30-year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
I have a couple junk guns that I’d like to dump at one of these, but the government in Iowa doesn’t seem to want to waste money in this fashion.
Hmmmmm…….
Might be a good way to make a brand new 3D printer pay for itself.
Print off the bare minimum & add enough commercial parts to make it “functional.” With all the panic about “ghost guns” their threshold on “functional” might not be all that high.
Just sayin’.
Dean, that’s a German KAR 88 carbine, not a Carcano. Worth beaucoup more than $125. Too bad.
I believe you are correct. Could have been worth a couple thousand.
I really don’t see the downside to having the VOLUNTARY gun buybacks. IMO, it gets old, or unsafe, or anything just lying around off the streets. For people who don’t want them – GOOD!. Their kids won’t find them, they won’t be sold or given to bangers, they won’t be used by those who are not trained. Take them ALL in…..but voluntarily, of course. In the perfect world…there would only be one gun-owner…ME. 🙂 🙂
The down side is these guns are being bought with OUR money and we don’t even get to shot them. Sounds like you are far from perfect.