Cambridge Gun Buy Back Saturday

CAMBRIDGE, MA - Police are trading gift cards for guns - no questions asked - tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Pentecostal Tabernacle parking lot.

Volunteers and public safety officers will accept any unloaded and stored firearms, police said. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office and Massachusetts State Police will safely destroy all turned in firearms, police said. A gift card ranging from $50-$200 in value will be provided for each firearm received. A $5 ice cream gift card will be provided to any children who turn in any toy guns, according to a release.

“Nationwide, more than 20,000 people commit suicide with a firearm and another 16,000 are injured in unintentional shootings each year,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian in a statement. “Providing residents with an avenue to safely dispose of unwanted firearms makes our communities – and especially our homes – safer, and we are proud to support our partners in this effort.”

According to the most recent data available from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 115 Massachusetts residents died as a result of a firearm-related suicide in 2013, according to a release.

“This initiative represents a powerful opportunity for individuals, organizations, and houses of faith to come together to create safer homes and safer communities,” said Lori Lander, founding organizer at Many Helping Hands, in a statement.

“By having an unwanted firearm in a home, children, people with mental illness and those at risk of domestic violence can be at risk of a preventable tragedy,” said Acting Commissioner Christopher Burke of the Cambridge Police Department, in a statement. “With each of the five communities pulling together and collaborating regionally, we recognize that there can be a greater impact in our respective cities and towns.”

Officials believe the regional approach will provide residents with additional opportunities to remove these unwanted firearms from their homes. Residents of the five communities can turn in unwanted firearms at any of the sites.

Since October 2013, the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has provided support to gun buyback initiatives in seven communities including four of the five communities participating in the regional initiative. In total, 299 unwanted firearms were turned in during the previous events.

There are a variety of ways for the community to participate in this program, including volunteering. For more information and to find out how you can become involved, please visit https://camb.ma/giftcardsforguns.