Nope, it's not a Federal facility or USPS property, and Texas Penal Code §46.03 doesn't prohibit a licensed individual from carrying at a police substation, so you can legally be on the premises!
But I am sure the APD will do everything it can to prohibit people from intercepting the idiots who try to turn in firearms under this program!
I hope someone is there trying to knock sense into these morons, but if they can't, they're at least filming it for entertainment's sake!
From 3-8 p.m., people can go to the Robert T. Martinez Central East Substation on 812 Springdale Road and return any unwanted firearm and ammunition with no questions asked. Sounds like I need to get some $20's and hold my own "buyback".. Would probably find myself being perp-walked though on some bogus charge.
In Maryland they held buy backs and gave $50 per gun NO SERIAL NUMBERS CHECKED!
A poorly disguised "get rid of crime guns for $ scam" there was a marked increase in gun thefts when the buys were announced.
I heard on the news they got a whole 60 guns. From what I saw not that many decent ones turned in. There was a double barrel there I would have taken though.
I had really wanted to go and ask people bringing guns in to sell them to me. I had other commitments at the time, but am planning to make the next one. Wondering what laws they would try to claim I was breaking...
I would bet the Austinites would try to tag you with...
Texas Penal Code § 38.15. Interference with Public Duties - (a) A person commits an offense if the person with criminal negligence interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with: (1) a peace officer while the peace officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law;
You could legally talk to people...
(d) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the interruption, disruption, impediment, or interference alleged consisted of speech only.
...but beyond that, who knows what those crazies will try to pin on you!
Thanks, I didn't see anything particularly special about the firearms being turned in and definitely they weren't the type of guns used in the majority of crimes; but those special-kind-of-stupid types in Austin probably believe they've actually made a dent in making that city safer!
The sad thing is the majority of functioning firearms shown look like they'd be fun little plinkers, so instead of teaching a youngster how to safely handle and fire them, those kids will never know the right way to act around a weapon.
I also taught my boys about guns to remove any curiosity about them. I didn't want them to not know how to safely handle a weapon if they happened upon one.
So overall, this "campaign" has most likely raised the possibility of Austinites being victims of crimes and gun violence, as for each weapon turned in the criminal gained an advantage!