A man from Latah County, Idaho, believes that the government shouldn’t disarm citizens, rather we should disarm ourselves.
To make his point the man, 75-year-old Stan Smith from Potlatch, is willing to “buyback” one AR-pattern rifle from someone and destroy it. In exchange, he will donate $500 to a charity of their choice.
Smith first announced his program in a letter to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News last weekend.
“I’m not against guns as a whole category and I’m not in favor of a mandatory confiscation or even a buyback, because” the federal government doesn’t have the money, Smith told DNews.com.
“What I said very succinctly is that citizens as individuals, or as groups collectively, could do a lot to diminish the number of guns on the market of that type,” he continued.
Smith, a retired social studies teacher who now fills in as a substitute, recognizes that other categories of firearms are used to kill more people each year than modern sporting rifles (MSRs) but still believes that reducing the number of MSRs in circulation would save lives.
SEE ALSO: Former Cop, Veteran Has Firearms Confiscated for Alleged ‘Threat’ Against School
“I’m 75 and this is not the world I would envision for our children or grandchildren so that’s a very simple motive with no catastrophic, earth-shaking result,” he said. “But as I said on the very last words (of the letter), my heart is at peace because I did something and that’s in stark contrast of what the politicians don’t do because too many of them are in the pocket of the (National Rifle Association).”
Thus far, no one has taken Smith up on his offer. That might be for two reasons. First off, most gun owners recognize that disarming good people does not make bad people harmless. What it does do is make those good people defenseless.
Second, most gun owners have invested more than $500 in their AR. So, even if one wanted to take advantage of this misguided offering, the value isn’t really there. (Of course, maybe someone has an old, heavily used rifle they can give him in exchange for a donation to the Second Amendment Foundation or the NRA. LOL.)
Smith said that he is only going to do this once but he does hope that others in the community follow suit. But if not, he’s not too worried about it.
“It’s just my own personal journey to do something that I could do, that I thought was right,” he told KREM2. “And if everybody else doesn’t sign up for that, that’s great. That’s why we can love America. We have freedom.”
This guy must feel that he has been forgotten and is saying hey look at me I’m still alive.
The MSM and gun grabbers have convinced many that the AR15 is an evil killing machine when in fact, handguns out kill the AR15 100 fold. And fail to acknowledge sick humans are the root cause.
You don’t get it. The AR-15 subject is about MASS shooting deaths. You may as well say, “Why bother? Look at the deaths in England by knives.” Deflection at its best. It IS in fact the weapon of choice for mass shooters. And oh so easily made into a hand held WMD with a bucket full of 30 round mags and an off the shelf bump stock. (Though the latter will eventually be harder to find.) It is about doing something, rather than nothing. Kudos’s to Stan Smith! He gets it.
Sharon, You are fixated on one thing and you cant release it. Mass shootings happen almost every day in American inner cities with the victims being minorities and the perps being minorities and they are perpetrated b the use of illegally owned PISTOLs not ARs. You also support you delusion by ignoring the fact that legally owned weapons save more lives every year than are taken in mass shootings.
Cars kill over 30,000 people a year with 2/3rds being children. Doctors kill 75,000 people every year from malpractice. According to the FBI in 2016, 1,604 people were killed by “knives and cutting instruments” and 374 were killed by “rifles” of all kinds in 2016. More people are killed with fists, feet and blunt objects than with rifles of all kinds by a factor of 5X. We would save 100,000 lives alone by outlawing bad doctors and cars!
Your saying look at knives in England is just a deflection which it isn’t. You have to be 21 to buy a steak knife there now and a politician is demanding people turn in their pointy steak knives to have the points ground off !
Most of these murders are committed by young men who grew up in a family where the father wasnt present. These shootings occur because the american government destroyed the American Family.
Go back to teaching.
Then again, please don’t.
If this is how you think, I wouldn’t want you to get anywhere near a child.
First, he couldn’t afford any of my firearms. He posted on the ” Moscow/Herald? Sounds like a commie rag to me! Social studies? I think communism was his major in whatever rag college he went to. Just because he has a degree doesn’t make him smart, that just means his parents paid a lot to have him get his head screwed on backwards. Hint, a little less drugs, and a lot more common sense would have served you better old man. Relieving me of my right to defend myself makes you sound smart, and makes me look stupid, which is why it will never happen. Me thinks mein kampf was your preferred book in college!
Psycho’s always get their 15 minutes of fame. We used to incarcerate lunatics, now they are teaching in schools and running as or voting democrat.
I’m a teacher, former law enforcement officer, and gun owner (3 ARs). I’m no longer surprised at the complete lunacy of some individuals in my profession.
Like they say, ‘a fool and his money……’
This fool knows that nobody is going to take him up on his offer because nobody is going to give away there AR and that is all he is asking for.
If universal background checks ever become law federally or in his own state, unless he is an FFL holder he will need a background check on ever gun he collects to destroy.
I wonder how many fake AR-15s/non firearms he will get?
I rather see an anti second amendment person do that than donate to anti second amendment organizations outright
I am NOT against all teachers but our country will be a lot safer when robots take over and force the chomos out of the class rooms.
What an butt hole this guy is! Publicity for a nonsense proposal!
I see the liberal elitist invasion of Idaho continues unabated.
I think he’s just looking to get his hands on an AR for $500.
This poor guy was obviously misquoted at the end of this article.
What he actually said was “That’s why we can love America. We have freedom to be total idiots.”
Why are you giving an obvious idiot a public platform to demonstrate his stupidity?
Just knowing this mental giant once taught someone’s children is terrifying.
Absolootly. Why give this doughy-geezer any fame at all.
*Retired SOCIAL Studies teacher Figured SOCIALISM would enter into it. Too bad Common Sense, Logic and Critical Thought never did.
I’ll donate 1000.00 to a charity of your choice if you move to canada and shut your anti American pie hole!
I am 76 and I want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a country that will allow them to protect their family and also enjoy hunting. The same as the people who developed and settled this country. That right was given to them by birth by the founders of this country. That is why gun ownership is the second right. It protects all the other rights of the people. It is sad that stupid is not covered under mental illness.
Must be over paying our Communist public school teachers to be able to do this!!
Please be careful NOT to lump all teachers in with that Looney Tune. There ARE some of us that ARE gun owners and ARE trying
to teach our students to think for themselves.
Yea right!!!!!
Sounds as stupid as he looks.
The guy must be a member of the Democratic Party whose aim is to simply promote anti-gun agenda…another misinformed or someone who chose to ignore facts. Would like to know more about his background.
If I were the CEO of a ‘Non-Profit’, I’d be building $ 300 AR’s, Givin’ ’em to this guy, and collectin’
‘half-stacks’ until this guy went bust… ( Not long, I’d imagine ! )
What a great way to get rid of all my AR Junk & broken parts !!!
Al Bundy has already explained this on the garage sale episode. There’s always a bigger idiot.
So CDNN is selling a $399 AR and the NRA is my charity of choice.
Sort of scary that a person that ignorant was teaching children. Wow.
I have an analogy here:
If 70% of people drive chevys and some sick person gets it into their head to run down a bunch of people in the street……….what are the odds it will be a Chevy.
Any intelligent person knows that banning ars wont change anything, it’s just a step toward gun control.
‘Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups’ ~ G Carlin
This sick’o looks obviously confused and possibly has dementia. No doubt he’s a Democrat and his idea’s follow those of Marxism. What he needs is a lobotomy and a good whoop ass.
Dipstick realizes late in life that his entire career amounts to a steaming pile. Tries make up for it by virtue signaling. “Look at me! I matter!” No, you don’t.
I think you nailed it. He’s just $500 dumber than the rest of his ilk…
It seems obvious he has too much income if he can afford to do this.
Social studies teacher says it all. Nothing like an educated moron.
Another idiot….My God ! Where do they all come from ?
All these deranged comments calling this man all sorts of childish names and implying outlandish things…its just a rifle…if people want to give him their rifles and he donates to charity that’s his business and their personal choice and right…get over yourselves and your gun lust…i own more than enough myself and there is nothing wrong with what he is doing…love people more than objects…
People are stupid if they do this!! Once again A gun NEVER decided to shoot anyone! These nuts that start shooting innocent people can blame their home life as A child!! They were never disciplined at home. They were never taught to work harder to get ahead and be A winner. It is to easy to blame something else for their up bringing. Everyone is not A WINNER and that is ok! Teach your kids yo do the best they can do every day. Thats what will inspire them to want to get to the top!
Rodney I think you must have thrown a rod. You are unable to recognize the fact that this person has lost touch with reality. Guns do not kill people, deranged people use a gun, or a knife, or a baseball bat, or an ice pick to kill people. Acknowledge that fact that people need to stop placing the blame on the gun rather than the sick f*ck who killed the people. If this guy wants to donate $500 to a charity fine, but not for the illogical reasons he has stated.
Anyone giving this idiot a gun to destroy, is as crazy as the socialist studies teacher…merely a liberal stunt.
If he truly wishes to do this, let him buy one in the market with HIS money…..you can buy them now for 400, and then destroy HIS property and donate 500 to a charity if he so wishes…..I’ll sell any gun I have that doesn’t have sentimental value to, either for what I paid for it or current value…whichever is greater. But! Confiscation is thievery and will not accept it from anyone, from a burglar to the federal government.
You appear to be as childish as smith with your ridiculous comment! As a social studies teacher smith should know what happens when society gives up their guns. Enslavement and murder by the government is what has and always will happen. I sounds to me that smith must be a nazi, communist hoping people are stupid enough to go along with his mad scheme. If you believe that the founding fathers gave us the second amendment to shoot rabbits then you are stupid beyond all imagination. The second amendment was put in place to protect us from a tyrannical government!
“Love people more than objects.” Well, of course we do. We love all of those who gave their lives for the rest of us to live in freedom & luxury (compared to most countries, we are quite rich!). We love & respect all who continue to fight for freedom, and for all those freedoms we must stand. Caving into unwise so-called “gun safety” by removing guns is exactly counter to intelligent thinking. You’ll never convince a hungry lion to leave you alone by asking him politely. If he’s hungry & he finds you alone & defenseless, you’re in trouble. The same goes for the power-hungry against the unarmed civilians.
When he shared his stupidity on line he made his stupidity everybody’s business.
These people need to stop clutching their pearls and start clutching coal to make diamonds.
Another “DO SOMETHING” liberal lemming. Thank God I opted for the Navy vs. College.
I’m glad he “FEELS” better.
This guy is in my generation but he never grew up. At least he isn’t a History teacher. He could use a good dose of it though.
I bet if he hadn’t been on the government tit for the majority of his life spreading that Liberal poison to the young he was supposed to be educated from books, not from his own ideology he couldn’t even come up with $500. I also bet he not really from northern Idaho but a California transplant again spreading his liberal poison.
Instead of focusing on Modern Sporting Rifles he needs to be concerned about his retirement pension fund. It’s underfunded, under performing and if his health or his mouth don’t take him out he won’t be able to afford to even sit on that deck. He will be too busy trying to find a way to feed and defend himself!
This is the garbage our children are being taught at school along with die for climate change!!
Perhaps this man should destroy and pay $500 to charity for every old Ford,Chevy, Buick,Honda and Toyota brought to him!
They kill far more Americans each year than ARs….
In fact the mobile phones the millennials are glued to are even more dangerous!
If common sense were lard…some people couldn’t grease a pan!
The scary thing about this whole thing is these people will be allowed to go to the polls and vote!
This guy makes you realize why so many young people are so blatantly stupid!
Sick in the head
he wants to destroy my firearms? My favorite charity is me and it’s going to cost him $5,000 not $500.
Polymer AR lower and parts for under $100. Cheap upper for $200. That could add up to a lot of $500 checks to the GOA.
He must’ve taught social studies from one of those books where the horrors of communism and socialism were left out to make space for how horrible white Christian Americans are…