In a twist of irony, a Colorado group has had to cancel its upcoming gun buyback event because of a background-check requirement imposed by the state’s new strict gun-control laws.
According to the new law, which was passed shortly after the Newtown school shooting, gun purchasers have to undergo a background check at a licensed firearms dealer. The InstaCheck system used by dealers is not portable, meaning that Together Colorado, a state community organization, cannot hold a buyback event at the Boulder County sheriff’s compound as originally planned.
“The bottom line is what we anticipated doing would still be legal — but procedurally we can’t follow through with it at this time,” said sheriff Joe Pelle.
The group could hold the event at a local firearms dealer, but would still have to pay the dealer for a background check for every transaction. Pelle said that process would be “very unproductive.”
Although the turned-in guns would have been given immediately to the sheriff’s office, some remaining parts were to be given to a local metalworking artist to use for a gun-violence-awareness sculpture.