Tacoma Washington Gun Drop Boxes

MarcDel · January 13, 2017, 11:55 PM

A few years ago Tacoma Washington proposed placing Gun Drop Boxes (their term) around the town for the purpose of allowing people to surrender guns without personal contact. The boxes were the standard city U.S. mail boxes painted blue with a gun picture on the front. The idea was an anti-2nd Amendment proposal on the order of the gun back schemes so beloved by Liberals.

Question: perhaps some residents of Tacoma might know, was the Gun Drop Box scheme ever implemented? If so, what were the results?

My Google searches have failed to provide any information past the initial proposals.

A picture is attached.

g.willikers · January 14, 2017, 09:19 AM

Sounds like a great way to arm criminals.
Clearly marked donations boxes with guns in them.
Way to go antis.

BearBrimstone · January 14, 2017, 10:51 AM

I have no idea if those were ever implemented, but even if I were anti-gun I would still think that they were a bad idea. All someone would need is a copy of the key and they get free guns. The government would just think that no one dropped a gun off and the person that left the gun would assume that it had been destroyed or went into police lockup.

BarryLee · January 14, 2017, 11:03 AM

So, who is really the idiot here? Is it the politician/government bureaucrat that came up with this foolish idea or the apathetic citizen that allows this stuff to go on? The problem with so many of these “feel good” anti-gun schemes is that they have no real impact on the bigger problem of too many bad guys walking around. There is absolutely no way a gang banger or some meth head is going to drop off a gun. Maybe just maybe Papa cleans out a closet and stuffs some old rusty .22 pistol in there, but seriously who is dumb enough to think this will have any real impact on crime.

Evan Thomas · January 14, 2017, 11:22 AM

As a practical matter, it could be done. My city has drug drop-off boxes which work the way these would be meant to, so people can dispose of drugs (legal or otherwise) anonymously, in the knowledge that they'll be properly disposed of. They're located outside public buildings, and they're very far from repurposed PO boxes -- quite massive and very secure. As far as I know, no one has ever broken into them, and the incentive to do would be pretty high.

aarondhgraham · January 14, 2017, 11:24 AM

My first thought was,,,

"Oh look! Free guns.

Aarond

.

doofus47 · January 14, 2017, 01:02 PM

g.willikers

Quote:

Sounds like a great way to arm criminals.

I think you thought this b/c gun ownership breeds criminal behavior.

I know cuz I thought the same thing.

Scorch · January 14, 2017, 03:44 PM

Never implemented. The idea was introduced with a big hullabaloo, but people more inclined to think things through convinced people it was a bad idea.

dahermit · January 14, 2017, 04:18 PM

The idea of a gun drop box begs the question: Who is going to have a key to come around to check/empty it? Certainly not a postman (even though it is a likely to be a retired post box). I would logically be the duty of a police officer...someone who now has an excellent source for an untraceable gun(s), to be kept as a possible "throw down", gun. I think such a temptation would be very great in that situation.

rickyrick · January 14, 2017, 04:50 PM

I think with WA UBC, transfer of a weapon to an unknown person would be a huge no-no. I mean really, that's worse than a face-to-face transfer.

JWT · January 14, 2017, 05:56 PM

Would certainly be easier to go to one of the drop boxes to get a free gun than to break into a gun store...

TruthTellers · January 14, 2017, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Would certainly be easier to go to one of the drop boxes to get a free gun than to break into a gun store...

Or steal from a legal gun owner.

Yeah, only the wacked out potheads in Seattle/Tacoma could think this one up.

Nathan · January 14, 2017, 10:28 PM

I like the free gun idea, but since gun buy backs rarely have guns of any value, i expect the boxes aren't worth robbing either.

....oh well another liberal failure....

Great place to drop a wiped gun after a homicide though...always hard to drop those!

carguychris · January 16, 2017, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

...since gun buy backs rarely have guns of any value, i expect the boxes aren't worth robbing either.

I disagree; keep in mind that a gun doesn't have to actually function in order to be useful in a robbery.

My area has seen a large number of ATM thefts where crooks with a large truck steal the entire machine; they have even used forklifts. A mailbox would be nothing to these guys. This is a stupid, stupid idea.

Nathan · January 16, 2017, 08:42 AM

....but to be worth stealing, doesn't it have to work?

johnwilliamson062 · January 16, 2017, 01:52 PM

I wonder what would happen if I installed one of these in my front yard...

jdc1244 · January 16, 2017, 02:03 PM

Quote:

The idea was an anti-2nd Amendment proposal…

Nonsense.

However ridiculous or ill-conceived, gun drop boxes are not ‘anti-Second Amendment,’ as no rights are violated or otherwise unlawfully infringed.

Quote:

….schemes so beloved by Liberals.

This fails as both a strawman fallacy and hasty generalization fallacy.

Ozzieman · January 16, 2017, 07:40 PM

We have a very successful gun buy back in our city every couple of years.
Very successful, city of over 200K and I think there were 34 guns turned in last time

Technosavant · January 16, 2017, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan Thomas

As far as I know, no one has ever broken into them, and the incentive to do would be pretty high.

Well, they've tried. I saw somewhere (may have even been local) where a dude tried to fish some drugs out of one.

He didn't get very far with it, and was arrested on the spot.

So they can try, but usually the boxes are secure enough (and in such noticeable places) that it's a fool's game to try.

Skans · January 17, 2017, 10:10 AM

This is just Anti advertising, that's all. I doubt that hardly any guns get dumped into that mail-box thing.

vito · January 17, 2017, 10:20 AM

Even the gun "buybacks" have been flagrant failures, and at least in a buyback the person disposing of the gun gets something in return. In a drop box you get exactly nothing.

There is one circumstance in which the concept of a "drop box" does work. That is where there will be real screening of the persons afterward, so the "drop box" is a way to get rid of contraband before getting caught and facing the consequences. This is exactly what was done on my flight coming home from Vietnam back in 1971. We were on a chartered Flying Tigers flight, and while in the air the stewardess announced that she would be walking down the aisle with a cloth bag and that things could be dropped in with no questions asked. As she walked down you could hear things being dropped in which were heavy enough to make a real clunk so I assume it was a gun or hand grenade or something similar. Then when we reached our destination in the U.S., it was announced that when we left that room we would be going through U.S. Customs, so if anyone had anything they shouldn't have, they could use the trash cans where we were with no questions asked. I was amazed that quite a few returning soldiers went over and dropped something in the trash barrels before going through customs. Ironically, my personal inspection as I went through Customs was being asked the question: "Do you have anything with you that you shouldn't have?". When I answered "No", I was waved through. I will admit that at that moment it crossed my mind that I could have hidden my M79 grenade launcher in my suitcase after all.

Evan Thomas · January 17, 2017, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technosavant

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan Thomas

As far as I know, no one has ever broken into them, and the incentive to do would be pretty high.

Well, they've tried. I saw somewhere (may have even been local) where a dude tried to fish some drugs out of one.

He didn't get very far with it, and was arrested on the spot.

So they can try, but usually the boxes are secure enough (and in such noticeable places) that it's a fool's game to try.

Exactly. The closest one to me is outside the entrance to one of the local police departments, with cops going in and out 24/7.

JT-AR-MG42 · January 18, 2017, 07:34 AM

Quote:

I wonder what would happen if I installed one of these in my front yard...

Are you gonna be playing here all week?

We need to start a 'wish I had thought of that one' thread.

Unless Washington State had put this proposal in their newest gun transfer
laws, I think it would be illegal.
I wonder if one is still allowed to surrender an unwanted firearm at
the local Police station without paperwork as well?

JT

osbornk · January 18, 2017, 10:26 AM

Wouldn't a gun drop box be a good place to "dispose" of a gun that might incriminate someone if the prints are wiped off? I would think that the authorities would need to do a fingerprint and balistics test on any gun dropped in the box to rule out that it was involved in a crime.

Nathan · January 18, 2017, 03:13 PM

Quote:

We have a very successful gun buy back in our city every couple of years.
Very successful, city of over 200K and I think there were 34 guns turned in last time

Of the 34, how many could safely fire a round?

January 14, 2017, 09:19 AM	#2
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Sounds like a great way to arm criminals. Clearly marked donations boxes with guns in them. Way to go antis. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

January 14, 2017, 11:03 AM	#4
BarryLee Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2010 Location: The ATL (OTP) Posts: 3,946	So, who is really the idiot here? Is it the politician/government bureaucrat that came up with this foolish idea or the apathetic citizen that allows this stuff to go on? The problem with so many of these “feel good” anti-gun schemes is that they have no real impact on the bigger problem of too many bad guys walking around. There is absolutely no way a gang banger or some meth head is going to drop off a gun. Maybe just maybe Papa cleans out a closet and stuffs some old rusty .22 pistol in there, but seriously who is dumb enough to think this will have any real impact on crime. __________________ A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

January 14, 2017, 11:22 AM	#5
Evan Thomas Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 5,631	As a practical matter, it could be done. My city has drug drop-off boxes which work the way these would be meant to, so people can dispose of drugs (legal or otherwise) anonymously, in the knowledge that they'll be properly disposed of. They're located outside public buildings, and they're very far from repurposed PO boxes -- quite massive and very secure. As far as I know, no one has ever broken into them, and the incentive to do would be pretty high. __________________ Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.

January 14, 2017, 11:24 AM	#6
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	My first thought was,,, My first thought was,,, "Oh look! Free guns. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

January 14, 2017, 03:44 PM	#8
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Never implemented. The idea was introduced with a big hullabaloo, but people more inclined to think things through convinced people it was a bad idea. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

January 14, 2017, 10:51 AM	#3
BearBrimstone Member Join Date: January 5, 2017 Posts: 67	I have no idea if those were ever implemented, but even if I were anti-gun I would still think that they were a bad idea. All someone would need is a copy of the key and they get free guns. The government would just think that no one dropped a gun off and the person that left the gun would assume that it had been destroyed or went into police lockup.

January 14, 2017, 04:18 PM	#9
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	The idea of a gun drop box begs the question: Who is going to have a key to come around to check/empty it? Certainly not a postman (even though it is a likely to be a retired post box). I would logically be the duty of a police officer...someone who now has an excellent source for an untraceable gun(s), to be kept as a possible "throw down", gun. I think such a temptation would be very great in that situation.

January 14, 2017, 04:50 PM	#10
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,237	I think with WA UBC, transfer of a weapon to an unknown person would be a huge no-no. I mean really, that's worse than a face-to-face transfer.

January 14, 2017, 05:56 PM	#11
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	Would certainly be easier to go to one of the drop boxes to get a free gun than to break into a gun store...

January 14, 2017, 10:28 PM	#13
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,331	I like the free gun idea, but since gun buy backs rarely have guns of any value, i expect the boxes aren't worth robbing either. ....oh well another liberal failure.... Great place to drop a wiped gun after a homicide though...always hard to drop those!

January 16, 2017, 08:42 AM	#15
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,331	....but to be worth stealing, doesn't it have to work?

January 16, 2017, 01:52 PM	#16
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	I wonder what would happen if I installed one of these in my front yard...

January 16, 2017, 07:40 PM	#18
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	We have a very successful gun buy back in our city every couple of years. Very successful, city of over 200K and I think there were 34 guns turned in last time __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe.

January 17, 2017, 10:10 AM	#20
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,132	This is just Anti advertising, that's all. I doubt that hardly any guns get dumped into that mail-box thing.

January 17, 2017, 10:20 AM	#21
vito Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2004 Location: IL Posts: 853	Even the gun "buybacks" have been flagrant failures, and at least in a buyback the person disposing of the gun gets something in return. In a drop box you get exactly nothing. There is one circumstance in which the concept of a "drop box" does work. That is where there will be real screening of the persons afterward, so the "drop box" is a way to get rid of contraband before getting caught and facing the consequences. This is exactly what was done on my flight coming home from Vietnam back in 1971. We were on a chartered Flying Tigers flight, and while in the air the stewardess announced that she would be walking down the aisle with a cloth bag and that things could be dropped in with no questions asked. As she walked down you could hear things being dropped in which were heavy enough to make a real clunk so I assume it was a gun or hand grenade or something similar. Then when we reached our destination in the U.S., it was announced that when we left that room we would be going through U.S. Customs, so if anyone had anything they shouldn't have, they could use the trash cans where we were with no questions asked. I was amazed that quite a few returning soldiers went over and dropped something in the trash barrels before going through customs. Ironically, my personal inspection as I went through Customs was being asked the question: "Do you have anything with you that you shouldn't have?". When I answered "No", I was waved through. I will admit that at that moment it crossed my mind that I could have hidden my M79 grenade launcher in my suitcase after all. __________________ People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell

January 18, 2017, 10:26 AM	#24
osbornk Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2012 Location: Mountains of Appalachia Posts: 1,598	Wouldn't a gun drop box be a good place to "dispose" of a gun that might incriminate someone if the prints are wiped off? I would think that the authorities would need to do a fingerprint and balistics test on any gun dropped in the box to rule out that it was involved in a crime.