Getting Unwanted Guns Off the Street; City and County Announce Date of Next Gun Buyback
Style Magazine Newswire | 5/31/2023, 1:08 p.m.
Mayor Sylvester Turner joined Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner today to announce the date of the next gun buyback.
The gun buyback program is part of the Violence Reduction and Crime Prevention section of the Houston Police Department. The City of Houston has committed $1 million to a robust gun buyback initiative to reduce violence and prevent crime by removing illegal or unwanted firearms from the street.
The next gun buyback will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 10, at NRG Park, in the Yellow Main Street Lot, 9051 S Main Street. The location is Gate# 16 off Main Street, the Yellow Main Street Lot main gate.
People can bring their unwanted guns and exchange them for a gift card.
$50.00: Non-functioning firearm
$100.00: Shotgun or Rifle (Hunting)
$150.00: Revolver
$150.00: Semi-Auto Handgun
$200.00: Rifle Semi-Auto
The Gun Buyback program is completely anonymous for the public in keeping with our objective of retrieving as many firearms as possible from Greater Houston residents.
"I know someone will criticize the program – but the truth is gun buybacks work as one tool in a comprehensive initiative to fight gun violence. Homicides, gun violence, and overall violent crime is down across our City, and we want to keep that momentum going," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "The gun buyback along with the use of shot spotter, doing more to reduce domestic violence and mental health calls and robust technology and police overtime are pieces of the puzzle that may prevent someone from pulling the trigger in the future or at least think twice before resorting to violence."
The City has held two previous successful gun buybacks. The first gun buyback collected 793 guns, and the second event collected 1252 guns. Harris County Precinct One, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and the City of Houston collaborated on a third gun buyback at Deussen Park earlier this year. Officials collected 793 firearms.
"As Mayor Turner alluded to, there have been questions about gun buybacks and whether or not they're effective at improving public safety," said Commissioner Rodney Ellis. "After three wildly successful buyback events, one thing is not up for debate: that this community is ready to be a part of the solution to end gun violence."