The Caddo Parish Commission, Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office, and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office announced a new gun buyback event which will debut Saturday January 14, 2017 at Morning Star Baptist Church – 5340 Jewella Avenue in Shreveport.

The event flyer pretty much says it all, promising an exchange that is completely anonymous. Up to two guns per person will be bought by the CPSO with no questioned asked.

The non-negotiable pricing is as follows:

  • $300 will be given for “assault style” rifles
  • $100 for .380 or larger semi auto weapons
  • $50 for small caliber handguns, shotguns, and rifles

Firearms must be brought unloaded and placed in the trunk of a vehicle. Only working firearms will be eligible for payment, but non-working firearms can be brought in for destruction.

The program comes on the heels of months of violence and an over 60% increase in homicides in 2016 within Shreveport over 2015. It is expected that this event will be the first in a series of buyback events to be held in various locations around the parish which will provide access to a variety of citizens.

Caddo follows the lead of cities around the country who offer similar programs. However well-meaning the buyback is, studies have shown the gun buyback programs aren’t very good at curbing gun-related deaths or violence. They are good, though, at making people feel good.

The parish agencies should be applauded for jumping in to address the issue of gun-related violence in the community and, as one parish official called it, ‘careless’ gun ownership. The reality is, though, that it’s not likely that those who most need to turn in their weapon will do it. While parish officials say that the program is not just about gun violence, it certainly is a big issue that needs addressing. The hope would be that this event will be followed up with more robust programs that will take aim at the root causes of violence in our community – poverty, education, and mental health.

The parish still has a massive amount of ground to cover in bettering education in Caddo, which rated 24th of 72 in the state of Louisiana which, in turn, is one of the worst states for education in the country. The education challenge also ties into the other elephant in the room: poverty.

Shreveport’s unemployment also remains notably higher than both state and national averages, the effects of which may also be contributing to growing opioid use in the community. Even with the recent announcements of new jobs, we need to ensure that we are continuing to provide job training for higher wages and promoting small business development. It may also be worth considering a city or parish-wide minimum wage increase in the future but, without a national wage increase, it’s hard to make a decision that could make us appear less competitive in the eyes of potential job creators at this point in our development. Focusing on growing good paying jobs and increasing job availability is key.

Mental health is a term that floats around quite a bit these days with regard to gun violence, but seems rarely discussed in municipalities. Nashville is currently constructing a new jail that also includes a behavior health center to address issues that don’t fit more traditional recidivism programs – the first of its kind. It will introduce the concept of mental health as a way to effectively returning citizens to the community through recognition of this wholly underserved area of need. Could Caddo Parish Correctional Center introduce such a program?

One thing Caddo Parish is already doing is the Safe Summer basketball program in conjunction with Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation (SPAR). Safe Summer focuses on youth aged 10-24 and serves as a constructive and community-building sports league during the summer break. The league plays games during peak crime hours – 6:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m., and each game is preceded by an educational presentation on anything from peer pressure to HIV prevention.

Safe Summer and the buyback program are solid, but incomplete, efforts. They must be the first steps in the journey of a new way to address risks for Caddo citizens. The health of the parish economy and education systems, paired with a better understanding of the ways to address the needs of those in the criminal justice system, could provide a pathway to mitigating the types of life situations that lead to risk in the first place.

No word on what will happen to the firearms collected or what metrics will be used to judge success of the event, but more information about the buyback program is expected to come to light at Wednesday’s press conference  – 2:00 p.m. at Government Plaza (500 Travis Street, Shreveport).