Orange County residents looking to dispose of unwanted firearms can anonymously trade them for gift cards at a gun buyback event Saturday, Nov. 8, in Garden Grove.
The drive-up exchange is sponsored by OC Supervisors Doug Chaffee, Vicente Sarmiento and Janet Nguyen in partnership with the city of Garden Grove and the Garden Grove Police Department.
Chaffee said the initiative is an important step to keeping the community safe from the epidemic of gun violence.
“It’s a matter of public safety,” Chaffee said. “Also, many people have said they don’t know how to get rid of weapons, like if you’re an elderly person, or a widow, whose husband has a gun you don’t know how to get rid of.”
Participation in the buyback is anonymous, and police will not ask for identification or personal information. Participants should store firearms in their car trunks and make sure they’re unloaded. An officer will collect the weapons from the vehicle. There is a limit of three firearms per person; BB, pellet, 3D printed and homemade guns will not be accepted.
The upcoming buyback will be the third Chaffee has hosted. Previous events in Placentia and Fullerton netted 757 firearms, including 53 assault rifles, he said.
At past buybacks, the police have distributed gift cards for gas and Amazon purchases for each weapon. This year, Chaffee said the county will offer vouchers to grocery stores such as Kroger, Costco and Target in the hopes of also addressing growing food insecurity after SNAP benefits expired.
Participants who turn in handguns or rifles will receive a $100 gift card for each firearm, while those who hand over assault weapons will receive $300 cards.
The county will also provide a limited number of free gun locks at the event, as part of a new countywide program that will distribute up to five free locks per household to reduce the risk of gun accidents, Chaffee said.
The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. For more information, contact Garden Grove Police Sgt. Josh Olivo at josho@ggcity.org.