A gun buyback organized by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn was underway in South Whittier Saturday, amid hopes people will surrender firearms in exchange for gift cards in an effort to reduce the number of weapons in the community.
“Over and over again, the success of these buyback events has proven that our communities want a chance to play a role in making their own homes and streets safer,” Hahn said in a statement.
The buyback began at 9 a.m. and will run to 1 p.m. Saturday at the South Whittier Community Resource Center.
People surrendering non-working firearms or gun parts will be eligible for $50 in gift cards, while those with working weapons will be eligible for $100. People surrendering ghost guns without serial numbers are eligible for up to $200 in gift cards, while assault rifles can be exchanged for $300 in gift cards.
People wanting to surrender weapons should ensure they are not loaded, and then bring them to the buyback site in the trunk of their vehicle.
Saturday’s event is the 16th buyback Hahn has organized since May 2022. According to her office, 2,678 weapons have been surrendered and subsequently destroyed in the previous collection events.
The effectiveness of gun buyback programs in reducing crime has been questioned.
A 2004 report by the National Academy of Sciences titled “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review” found that “the theory underlying gun buyback programs is badly flawed, and the empirical evidence demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these programs.”
The report found that guns that are typically surrendered in buyback programs are those that are least likely to be used in criminal activities, such as guns that are old or malfunctioning.