Gun buybacks sound great on paper—like a feel-good neighborhood cleanup where everyone hands over their scary boom-sticks for a gift card and a pat on the back. But when these programs go international, they reveal their true colors: a naive exercise in wishful thinking that bad actors laugh off while good folks foot the bill. Take the recent spotlight on efforts in places like Gaza, where initiatives backed by international NGOs and governments have tried to coax weapons from militants. Spoiler: Hamas didn’t get the memo. These groups, flush with smuggled arms from Iran and stockpiles funneled through tunnels, aren’t lining up for a $50 Walmart voucher. Instead, buybacks net a handful of rusty AKs from compliant civilians, leaving terrorists armed to the teeth. It’s a pattern repeated from Australia’s 1996 massacre aftermath to Brazil’s urban disarmament flops—programs that disarm the law-abiding while criminals upgrade via the black market.
The data backs this up with brutal efficiency. Studies from the RAND Corporation and criminologists like John Lott show buybacks reduce gun ownership by less than 1% in targeted areas, with zero measurable drop in violent crime. In Israel and Palestinian territories, post-buyback violence spikes prove the point: Hamas’s October 7 atrocities were fueled by an arsenal untouched by feel-good surrenders. Why? Incentives are all wrong—buyback prices are a joke compared to street value, and participants often game the system with junk guns bought cheap. This isn’t just ineffective; it’s counterproductive, creating a false sense of security that emboldens aggressors.
For the 2A community, this is exhibit A in the global case against disarmament theater. It underscores why self-defense rights aren’t negotiable—governments can’t buy peace from those who thrive on chaos. American gun owners watching this should double down: stock up legally, train hard, and vote against importing these failed policies. When tyrants and terrorists ignore the rules, the only buyback that matters is the one where we buy more ammo. Stay vigilant, patriots—the world needs armed citizens more than ever.
