No, it does not. The idea that owning/bearing weapons is a gentleman’s privilege – not everybody’s, only a gentleman’s or aristocrat’s – pre-dates the invention of firearms.
Enthusiasts might consider an old gun “useless,” but if it can still fire at all, it is still worth getting off the streets. Might kill somebody just by accident, you know. A club, a baseball bat – you can use that to kill a person, but never by accident. A knife – you might kill somebody with it by accident, but the event is extremely rare. But gun-accidents kill many.
I still would like to see a gun buyback program that actually paid anywhere close to market value–if nothing else, you’d get more of the ideological fence-sitters to choose to sell 'em back.
Well, the assassins club claims the multiple incidents were innocent tomfoolery gone wrong.
Sort of update:
Editorial by Steve Kozachik, the Tuscon vice-mayor who organized the buy-back program in question.
Interesting points – he recently switch from R to D as a direct result of this situation.
And a quote: “I was the target of some of that violent overreaction in the two weeks leading up to the buyback. Thinly veiled threats were leveled at me. I was referred to as ‘Hitler.’ The response made it clear the event I was planning hit a nerve among a group who evidently believe the proper disposal of a firearm is tantamount to the desecration of a holy icon.”