Peninsula Cities to Hold Gun Buyback in East Palo Alto

Three Peninsula cities are preparing for an anonymous gun buyback in East Palo Alto on Saturday, police said.

Police agencies from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto are sponsoring the gun purchase event, which will take place in the parking lot of East Palo Alto City Hall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Local residents will be paid $100 for a handgun, $200 for a rifle or shotgun, and $300 for an assault weapon, according to organizers of the event.

Guns will be accepted anonymously with no questions asked, organizers said. No names or license plates will be recorded and the guns will be marked for destruction.

Officers asked participants to transport firearms unloaded in the trunks of their cars.

East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis said in a statement that the buyback is part of Operation SMART, or Strategic Multi-Agency Response Team, a multi-jurisdiction effort launched in 2011 to combat a local spike in gang-related violence.

"This multi-agency gun buyback event provides residents a safe venue to remove unwanted firearms from our community," Davis said.

Police chiefs from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto will join representatives from local nonprofit Protect Our Children for a news conference following the event at 2:30 p.m.

The buyback will be held at East Palo Alto City Hall, located at 2415 University Ave.

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