Is the consensus that the buy back program is a bad thing? I see it as good, especially because it’s an option and totally voluntary. Transferring firearms to strangers might be a hassle to some. My friends 88 yr old grandmother was left with some firearms. She doesn’t know anything about guns and my friend didn’t want to get involved. Sat in a safe for yrs. I’d think something like this would be great for them?
Ask yourself 2 things: can the state really afford $90K to do a buyback? The term "buyback" is a misnomer. To buy a gun back, they would have had to have sold it. It's basically a tax-payer-funded bribe to get guns turned into the state.
The other thing to ask is, who really benefits? I think it's Cops. They are less fearful of an unarmed populace. The police department, which you help fund, has been on the frontlines supporting gun control laws every step of the way.
The buybacks don't do what's advertised: get guns "off the streets." They simply get guns out of grandma's closet and out of Kimo's trashcan so they can reap a little benefit from inherited or unsellable guns. They bragged they took "ghost guns" in at the buyback. Were those guns in the hands of criminals? Or were they simply owned by law-abiding citizens with no intention of committing crimes who took advantage of the opportunity to get rid of a legal hot potato?
They are using our taxes to fund a program that benefits a few and doesn't do anything to stop "gun violence". You tell me if that's a bad thing?
Oh, and although the state has been "awarded" a $97K grant by the feds to do this, (1) that's still tax payer funded, and (2) the state has yet to accept the grant. I remember a few years ago the state forfeited a couple million in grant money for education, even though they spent years making changes to comply with the rules of the grant.
The state dropped the ball and failed to apply for the money!! Don't be shocked if that happens again. "I was wondering why it was taking so long to see the grant money."

You might also want to read this article I linked:
https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/10/cops-want-guns-off-the-streets-but-are-buyback-programs-the-way/