The article keeps calling these "gun buyback programs." Although a horrible misnomer, that title refers to programs run by government agencies (not the feds) to "guns off the streets" with "no questions asked." Yet the article also calls these programs "under cover" and "sting" operations. Which is it? An above-board (but silly) guns-off-the-street program or a deceptive undercover sting operation?
This article is really poor at communicating the details.
BTW, if the ATF is presenting these programs as typical "buybacks," but is deceiving the sellers, then there is an upside (among all the downsides): Folks will begin to lose confidence in real "buybacks," wondering if the promise of "no questions asked" will be violated, wondering if they are being set up.