By Sergio Arellano-Oros
In what some consider to be a waste of resources and tax payer money, Steve Kozachik’s gun buyback event launched at 9 a.m. sharp yesterday brought forth another failed attempt by the City of Tucson and its Council members to make a real change to improve its residents’ lives.
Many citizens voiced concerns at the event that the real purpose of the buyback event was to gain political capital on the second anniversary of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and the death of six others.
The event, which was mirrored after a California gun buyback program, only resulted in 200 guns being “bought back” by TPD. While a side effort led by State Senator Frank Antenori and others resulted in the purchase of about approximately 60 or more weapons.
According to various sources, few of the guns “bought back” were in working condition, and as a result it took few weapons off the street.
The day was not as flawless as some would be led to believe though, as Senator Frank Antenori was told by Tucson Police Department officers that he clear the public sidewalk and leave room for bicyclists choosing to ride their bike in that area.
Antenori said the cops were only doing what their superiors told them to do, however, others reported that a few officers went too far in restricting free speech and public access.
The task force of approximately 40 Tucson Police Department personnel “were highly motivated to make the day a living hell if they chose to hang around the event,” according to one veteran in attendance. The veteran, who is a wounded warrior, said he happened to “wander into the general area of the event only to be pulled over, berated and yelled at because I did not have a weapon to turn in.” When the veteran informed the police officer that he was a United States citizen and could be anywhere in the area he chose to be, the officer mocked him and proceeded to not let him proceed towards the event stating that he was “protecting” that veteran regardless of his combat experience or having received a purple heart.
Local resident Christine Bauserman was also present at the event and asked, “Tucson has over 600,000 people and Steve K. removed less than 200 guns. Does he think this is a success? As a City Councilman he has a budget to fix our roads of $60 million and actually spends $6 million. His statistical rate of success is either delusional or he is a product of a TUSD education.”
“Kozachik’s Gift Cards for Firearms event was supposed to be privately funded; however, TPD’s presence was immense. They had their mobile command post set up and running and at one point, nearly 40 officers were assigned various duties from traffic control to checking serial numbers,” Ken Rineer president of Gun owners of Arizona stated. “I wonder if they will let us know the amount of taxpayer dollars that were spent today for Kozachik’s campaign event? After collecting nearly 200 firearms, the Tucson Police Department reportedly rushed them to a facility at 2:30 pm to be destroyed.”
One officer, who was sympathetic to the gun rights attendees, said that he was not supposed to work on Tuesday, but was told to come in and take another this week off. That way, he said, the City wouldn’t look like they were paying overtime or using extra resources for the political stunt.
When a TPD higher-up was asked if officers were taken away from neighborhood patrols to be at the event, they only responded, “All officers who should be working today, are working today.”
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