XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.politics.usa.constitution, talk.politics.misc   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Residents of El Paso County made their way to the Ascarate County Tax   
   Office on Saturday morning, utilizing the final opportunity to disarm   
   their households willingly as part of a gun buyback event, a fixture in   
   the community that will soon be no more due to impending state   
   legislation. According to KTSM, County Commissioner Jackie Butler and   
   Sheriff Oscar Ugarte have advocated for these events as measures to curb   
   the potential for firearms-related accidents or criminal activities by   
   removing unwanted weapons from private homes, offering gift cards in   
   various amounts up to $200 depending on the type of firearm surrendered.   
      
   The buyback, detailed by KFOX-TV, comes ahead of the enactment of House   
   Bill 3053, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, set to take effect on September   
   1st, which under its stipulations will outlaw these types of community   
   events preventing local governments from engaging in such gun collection   
   initiatives; the bill, supporters say addresses the misuse of taxpayer   
   dollars and brings focus back to tackling criminal behaviorat its core,   
   not merely the instruments through which it may manifest. This change   
   follows a legislative session that pushed through reforms in stark   
   contrast to the efforts made by El Paso County officials in recent years   
   to deliver a safe method for disposing of firearms.   
      
   The concerns raised by Butler, echoing the statistics revealed by County   
   Attorney Christina Sanchez, who, in an interview with KTSM, highlighted a   
   growing number of juvenile offenses involving firearms, reaching 46 by   
   mid-August 2025, compared to 38 in 2024, are being left unaddressed as the   
   new state law sweeps in. Butler emphasized that "We're just trying to do   
   our best not only to dispose of unwanted guns but also to talk about gun   
   safety and the importance of keeping the guns if you do have them safely   
   stored, especially if you have teenagers, kids in your home, or anybody   
   who may be susceptible to gun violence," as per KFOX-TV.   
      
   https://hoodline.com/2025/08/el-paso-residents-participate-in-final-gun-   
   buyback-event-before-new-texas-legislation-takes-effect/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)