FOOD FOR GUNS: RESIDENT GUN BUYBACK 8/16

FOOD FOR GUNS: SOMERVILLE RESIDENT GUN BUYBACK EVENT AUGUST 16   

Trade in firearms and rifles, license or unlicensed— for grocery store gift certificates 

What: Somerville Gun Buyback

Where: Somerville Police Headquarters, 220 Washington Street

When: Saturday, August 16, 2014, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

SOMERVILLE—The City of Somerville Police Department, in conjunction with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department, will hold a gun and ammunition buyback event on August 16, 2014, where Somerville residents can trade in their unwanted firearms or rifles for grocery gift certificates. This important community service will offer residents the opportunity to properly dispose of firearms to help keep the community safe. This is a no-questions-asked event that puts safety first. Unlicensed residents who turn in weapons will not be prosecuted for the crime of unlawful possession of a weapon.

This is how it works: on Saturday, August 16, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. officers will be on hand to accept any and all hand guns, rifles, shotguns, working or non-working, antique or modern, registered or not, for safe storage and disposal. The event takes place in the front lobby of the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington Street, Somerville, Massachusetts. 

Residents are asked to bring the unloaded firearm, or any ammunition, in a clear sealed plastic bag or box. Residents are asked to transport weapons in the trunk of their vehicle. Officers will be on hand to retrieve non-boxed weapons from vehicles or assist with those not comfortable handling the weapons. The gun will be taken, logged in by the Middlesex Sheriff’s office, and sent out for destruction. Ammunition, BB guns, pellet guns, & and air guns will be accepted, but no incentive will be given.

“Removing unwanted guns from a home can prevent those weapons from falling into the wrong hands and save lives,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “Studies show that having a gun in a home increases the risk of both suicide and of people in that home becoming victims of homicide, including domestic violence. Women living in homes with a gun are three times more likely to be killed in their homes. I thank our Police Department and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office for partnering on this important program to protect our residents.”  

“On average, more than 34,000 people are accidentally shot or commit suicide using a firearm each year. I believe that providing residents with a safe way to dispose of firearms they no longer want can help reduce these numbers,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. “These buybacks also encourage dialogue among those involved about ways to make our communities safer.”

“This program has been a successful  in other communities and I am sure there are unwanted firearms in attics and basements around Somerville. These guns may have been left by deceased family members, by those who have moved away, or others who simply don’t want them around.  The buyback event provides our residents a way to safely dispose of these unwanted guns,”said  Somerville’s Interim Police Chief Charles Femino.

No questions will be asked at the event and no identification is required. Amnesty will be extended for gun law violations for Somerville residents traveling to this event  between  the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on August 16, 2014.