California gun owners traded in their firearms for gas cards amid the spike in gas prices.
The Sacramento Police Department announced in a press release, “134 firearms were turned into the Sacramento Police Department on Saturday, May 21, 2022, during the Gas for Guns Gun Buyback.”
According to the department, the event “provided a safe and efficient process for community members to turn in unwanted firearms to the Sacramento Police Department with no questions asked and no identification required.”
The statement continues, “Over 100 members of the community responded to Saturday’s event which was staffed by Sacramento Police Department officers and community partners who facilitated the safe exchange of firearms for $50 gas gift cards.”
The department noted among the firearms traded was “at least one assault weapon, numerous components for privately manufactured firearms (ghost guns), and multiple other illegally configured firearms.”
Chief Kathy Lester said in a statement, “As a department we will continue to use innovative ideas to increase the safety of our community.”
She added, “I truly believe violent crime prevention is a shared responsibility and today’s overwhelming community participation is evidence of the success we can achieve together.”
Check out the press release below:
134 Firearms Exchanged in Gas for Guns Gun Buyback. Full press release available here: https://t.co/SAsztw4D1y pic.twitter.com/35GsZUQMrt
— Sacramento Police Department (@SacPolice) May 22, 2022Was this a good idea?
According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of gas in California is roughly $6.07.
Analyst Severin Borenstein of Berkeley’s Energy Institute told CBS News most of the increase in gas prices “has come from crude oil prices going up, and that’s because world demand has been coming back quite strongly from the pandemic and supply hasn’t caught up.”
He explained, “Even before Russia attacked Ukraine, we were seeing the production of oil lagging. Producers in the United States are reporting they’re having a hard time getting workers to come back to the oil fields. They’re having supply chain problems with parts and equipment.”
According to Borenstein, “Oil companies are making a lot of money by going along for the ride. They’re selling their oil at the market price.”
He predicted Americans are “in for higher gas prices, certainly through the summer and probably through the end of this year, possibly gradually going lower. But we’re not going to see $2 or $3 gasoline even in the near future.”
Fox News noted the White House has placed the blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The administration has promised the president would do everything he can to protect Americans from “pain at the pump.”
Still, Biden has received criticism from Republican lawmakers.
