Orange County residents traded in nearly 300 firearms for gift cards at a gun buyback event over the weekend.
At the drive-up exchange in Garden Grove, local police handed out $34,400 worth of gift cards in exchange for 298 unwanted weapons, including 23 assault rifles.
The Saturday, Nov. 8, event was sponsored by county supervisors Doug Chaffee, Vicente Sarmiento and Janet Nguyen. It was the third buyback hosted by the county; previous events in Placentia and Anaheim netted 757 firearms, including 53 assault rifles.
“Every firearm turned in is one less chance for a tragedy to occur in our neighborhoods,” Fourth District Supervisor Chaffee said in statement. “The success of this program demonstrates that when we come together, we can make meaningful progress toward reducing gun violence and building safer, stronger communities for everyone.”
Sarmiento echoed Chaffee’s sentiment and called the exchange an “innovative approach that respects the rights of our community members” and allows them “to voluntarily take gun safety into their own hands.”
Orange County saw a total of 149 gun-related deaths in 2024, including 39 homicides and 107 self-inflicted fatalities, according to the OC Sheriff’s Department.
At the Garden Grove buyback, participants anonymously disposed of unwanted guns in exchange for $100 gift cards to Kroger, Costco and Target. Those who turned in handguns or rifles received one gift card for each firearm, while those who handed over assault weapons went home with three cards per item.
The police also handed out 122 free gun locks at the event, as part of a new program that will distribute up to five free locks per household to reduce the risk of gun accidents.
After the collected guns have been cataloged and examined by forensic science experts, they will be melted down, authorities said.