Buyback, or Not Buyback

Police Chief Edward Cronin wants guns off the streets, but doesn't embrace a gun buyback program, saying research doesn't conclusively prove they work. A Northeastern professor backs up Cronin's stance, saying gun buybacks are still unproven.

Professor Glenn Pierce and Cronin say there are still unanswered questions, but the story doesn't detail the questions. It seems simple. If a gun is off the street somehow, isn't that a success? We'd like to hear more about why these programs may not work.

Councilor Dean Tran is a supporter, and Pierce notes one thing a gun buyback program does do is create a public image of working to get guns off the street. That's an important point, and the public relations should be enough for the city to institute a program.

The story notes Worcester has gotten 800 guns back through its program. Boston is promoting its program all over the place (we saw an ad on Channel 25 featuring Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week on this very subject). Boston's program offers participants a $200 gift card to Target.

By instituting a program, Fitchburg can point to it as a piece to the puzzle of making the city safer (although someone other than Cronin might have to make that argument from now on). And if the program only brings in a handful of guns, isn't that a start?

This seems like a no-brainer. What are we missing here?