CrimeStoppers Gun Buy Back Day Aims to Get Guns Off the Streets

The guns collected during the event. Photo courtesy of Crimestoppers.

Police make it a priority to get guns off the streets, and Central Alabama CrimeStoppers collected dozens of weapons in a gun-buy back program Saturday.

Tony Garrett of CrimeStoppers says this program is for the good of the community.

“Our very first gun was from a female that got an assault weapon away from 16-year-old. She was afraid that either he was going to use it or if his younger sibling was going to use it by accident or use it against someone,” says Garrett.

CrimeStoppers’ Gun Buy Back program paid people $100 for assault weapons and $50 for pistols.

“We’ve had everything from AR-15’s to 22 pistols, shotguns, some are guns that people want to get ride of because they had younger kids around the house,” says Garrett.

67 guns were turned in during last year’s 2 hour gun buy back. Serial numbers of the guns they are buying back so see if the gun was used in a crime.

“When there is a vehicle burglary or a house burglary, most of the times the criminals are looking for guns that are not being used that are guns around the household, so if we can get those guns away from people that are not gun users we’re satisfied,” says Garrett.

Garrett says the buy back program may also help prevent suicides.

“You never know. They know that a gun is in the house and they have some type of depression or some type of mental illness that needs to be taken care of, they may decide a different route.”

73 guns were bought back during Saturday’s buy back. The people turning them in were able to do so anonymously.

“Just getting those guns from those types of people that don’t use guns-that are not gun users, that’s enough for us,” says Garrett.

CrimeStoppers officials say all of the guns turned in will be destroyed.