City of Chicago Fencing Stolen Guns

From ABC 7 in Chicago:

City urges gun owners to turn in their weapons

July 17, 2007 - Mayor Daley is urging gun owners to turn in their weapons this weekend.

The city's holding the third gun turn-in event at 23 different locations around Chicago, this Saturday, July 21.
People who give up their guns will get a pre-paid debit card worth $100. No questions asked.

Joining the mayor today were community leaders and Ronald Holt, the father of 16-year-old Blair Holt who was shot and killed on a CTA bus in May.

"I stand here symbolically in the gap for all the children who have lost children to gun violence," Holt says. "After losing Blair, I am here to say, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a joke."

I have to wonder if the incidence of home burglaries increases prior to these mass gun purchasing drives. Charitable organizations and public entities have been organizing these events for some time now, so data should be available.

Rev. Peter Johnson (youngest aid to Dr Martin Luther King)testified to the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee that he is involved with gun buy back programs in Dallas. He testified that he has "bought back" over 3000 firearms. One statistic he mentioned that I found interesting is that 85% of the guns they purchase in the "buy back" program are stolen. That is 2550 stolen firearms in this one program alone. How many of these firearms were stolen for the sole purpose of selling in the gun purchasing programs? How many were returned to the rightful owner?

The tax payers of Chicago will be forking out $100 for each firearm turned in "no questions asked". That is more that most of these goblins get from their fence or drug dealer. This is quite the enticement to go out and steal some guns.

Mayor Daley, it is quite possible, likely even, that this gun purchasing program is causing criminal activity. This program may be putting the free citizens of Chicago at risk as goblins break into homes searching for firearms to sell "no questions asked" to the city. I wonder if the citizens of Chicago realize that their hard earned money given to the city to fight crime, may be actually funding criminal activities and increasing the crime rate.

One last question... Is an increase in firearms thefts an unintended consequence of these gun purchase programs, or would Mayor Daley view this as an unexpected bonus?