Over 250 firearms were surrendered in a recent New Mexico buyback event, but critics question the effectiveness of such programs in reducing actual crime. Rather than allowing legal owners or collectors to purchase these firearms, they’re being cut up and turned into garden tools.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM (2-minute read) — More than 250 firearms have been voluntarily surrendered and dismantled in Albuquerque as part of a gun buyback organized by New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Though the group celebrates this as a win for community safety, many gun rights advocates are left shaking their heads, and checking their wallets, wishing they’d had a chance to make an offer.

Miranda Viscoli, Executive Director of the group behind the event, said six stolen guns were among the haul. That sounds promising, until you remember that criminals rarely show up to these buybacks. Most of the firearms were surrendered by law-abiding citizens, often due to family situations involving dementia, mental health concerns, or the presence of children in the home.

But the real question remains: Do these programs actually prevent crime? Decades of data say not really. Gun buybacks tend to collect firearms from people who aren’t at risk of committing violent acts. Criminals don’t voluntarily disarm. Meanwhile, valuable, legally owned firearms are cut up with saws and never to be used again, even by someone who might have appreciated or needed them for home defense.

Turning Functional Firearms Into Art?

Instead of being resold or redistributed through legal private sales, these firearms are chopped up and repurposed into garden tools and art. The Guns to Gardens program has students transforming stocks and barrels into chairs, shovels, and decorative items.

With another buyback planned before year’s end, many gun enthusiasts are hoping public awareness will grow, not about turning firearms into shovels, but about the right to keep them safely and legally. And if anyone’s looking to unload an old shotgun or revolver, there are definitely folks out there who’d rather buy it than see it turned into a flowerpot.

Safety Tip: Before getting rid of a firearm, consider consulting a certified firearms instructor or local gun shop to explore legal private sale or transfer options. Responsible ownership includes knowing your choices.