Contra Costa County gun buyback event this Saturday in Pittsburg
By Nate Gartrell Contra Costa Times
POSTED: 11/20/2014 12:52:36 PM PST0 COMMENTS| UPDATED: 75 MIN. AGO
PITTSBURG -- The city will host an anonymous gun buyback program Saturday and will crush the guns into scrap metal to be donated to a charity that reforges the metal into jewelry.
The gun buyback will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Pittsburg City Hall. Target gift cards with values of $50 to $350 will be given for firearms turned over to police. Pittsburg police Capt. Michael Perry said the program will be completely anonymous. Officers won't check warrants, IDs or gun serial numbers and won't ask any questions, he said.
"This is one tool we can use to remove unwanted or illegal firearms off the street," said Perry, who helped organize the event with the Contra Costa County district attorney.
The event will be open to all Contra Costa County residents, but participants must show proof they reside in the county, like an ID or a gas bill. To ensure the program's anonymity, the person assigned to check residency will be a civilian, not an officer, Perry said.
Two years ago, the city hosted a similar countywide event, and, Perry said, they obtained and destroy 291 firearms in Pittsburg alone, though he didn't have the numbers for the entire county.
All the metal will be crushed into scraps, which will then be donated to a group called Jewelry for a Cause, which creates jewelry out of the scrap metal. The organization was founded by jewelry designer Jessica Mindich and has partnered with law enforcement agencies across the nation.
Police ask that folks ensure the guns are unloaded, and they request the firearms are carried in the trunks of their cars
A flier for the event says the payout will be up to $50 for nonoperable firearms, up to $100 for small caliber rifles, up to $150 for shotguns, up to $200 for handguns and large caliber rifles, and up to $350 for assault rifles. Rather than money, the city will be issuing Target gift cards for the proper amount of money, and Perry said the gift cards were left over from a previous countywide gun buyback event.
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