Photo by Pedro Latsa, Unsplash.
By Stewart A. McFerran
A response in one local community to gun violence and mass shootings has resulted in a buyback program for assault weapons. Eligible assault-style firearms can be anonymously turned in to the Ludington Police Department at 408 S. Harrison St. in Ludington on Sat., May 20, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Supercenter gift cards in the amount of $300 will be given for each eligible firearm received as part of the community’s Starfish Buyback Program, a privately funded program.
According to the Starfish Buyback brochure, volunteers established the program “based on the belief that no matter how small or futile this action may appear, any effort to save precious lives matters.”
Communities respond differently to gun violence. In Traverse City, the Safer Kids Safer Schools program has raised money intended to support kids. Research identifies warning signs that can lead to interventions that stop shooters from rampaging in school hallways.
The results of each program will not be apparent right away, but both efforts are raising awareness of gun violence in their communities.
Starfish origins
Starfish volunteer Karen Reader lives in Custer near Ludington and has family in Oxford, Michigan. The Oxford community was devastated by gun violence. The survivors there are dealing with the aftermath of a school rampage by a student shooter with an assault weapon. Reader was spurred into action by that tragic event.
Ludington’s late George Reber was instrumental in the effort that hopes to stop gun violence from spilling into that shoreline community. At his memorial, mourners were asked to give to the Starfish Buyback Program. They distributed flyers in the community and told the story of the little girl who threw a starfish back into the ocean to save it. When asked why she would bother when there were still so many starfish stranded on the beach, the girl replied that her actions helped that one starfish.
“What we can do is at least make a difference one gun at a time by removing that gun from the community and exchanging that weapon for a $300 Supercenter gift card,” Reader said. “People can use it for groceries; they can use it for something they need in their house.”
The Ludington City Council voted to support the Starfish Buyback Program. Police Chief Christopher Jones will personally accept the weapons, no questions asked.
“We will establish a three-hour time frame on two different dates: the third Saturday in May and (in) September 2023,” Chief Jones said.
The Ludington Police Department will supervise the exchange and distribute the gift cards. Unloaded weapons should be brought in car trunks. An officer will meet the citizen in the department’s parking lot to determine eligibility. The officer will remove any eligible guns and ammo and present gift cards at that time. Police will then turn the weapons over to the Michigan State Police in Lansing.
“The (Ludington) chief of police has answered numerous calls from people with various questions about what assault weapon is eligible,” Reader said.
Police personnel will also offer free trigger locks to anyone who needs them for guns that they keep at home.
The Starfish brochure states: “This buyback program for assault weapons is not intended to erode anyone’s right to own guns for self-protection or hunting.”
Similar buyback programs in other communities encourage individuals to turn in dangerous firearms. Grand Rapids recently held its third buyback event on Sept. 17, 2022. They issued a $200 gift card for assault weapons, $100 for rifles and $50 for other firearms. They took in 87 assault-style weapons and other guns, totaling 285 weapons.
There’s historical precedent for the programs. After the Civil War, many guns used by solders became obsolete and uncared for. In an effort to remove these dangerous weapons from homes, the Firearms Act required individuals to register their guns. Gun owners not wanting to pay to register their guns could turn them in to local authorities. Lots of firearms were surrendered to then Traverse City Police Chief Blacken’s office in 1926. There were many Civil War rifles that “would fire when you least expected,” as reported in the Traverse City Record-Eagle on Nov. 6, 1926. Chief Blacken dumped the guns in Grand Traverse Bay, ensuring the public’s safety from dangerous misfires.
I spoke with Jay Berger, the cofounder of Safer Kids Safer Schools. He was spurred to action by the horrible mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Berger indicated that his group has engaged a wide swath of the community. They will be holding public meetings to further engage community members with the goal of supporting youth who may be isolated. With training, individuals can spot warning signs and intervene with compassion. In this way, the Safer Kids Safer Schools program hopes to avert gun violence in the community.
“I think it is very important to identify and engage young people, whether they are male or female, who appear to be at risk,” Reader told me. “I think we need to do that because so often those students are quiet, and they slip thought the cracks; they need that mentorship.”
She said she applauds the work of Safer Kids Safer Schools.
“I am going to look into that,” she added.
For more information about the Ludington Police Department programs, go to: https://ludington.mi.us/244/firearms-programs. Information about the Starfish Buyback Program can be found at: https://fbook.cc/4PJT.
Stewart A. McFerran teaches swimming and water safety classes for youth and creates outdoor programs for young people at an area science center. He believes in responsible gun ownership.
