The Stockton Police Department is hosting a gun buyback event Saturday — and this one has a special significance.
The event comes amid the backdrop of the Nov. 29 mass shooting at a child’s birthday party that killed four young people and wounded 13 others.
The department is hosting the buyback — a regular event that occurs several times a year — in hopes that fewer weapons in the community will reduce gun violence.
“Hosting an event like this provides a proactive, community-focused way to reduce the number of unwanted or illegally possessed firearms in circulation,” police spokesperson Omer Edhah said in an email.
Between $200 and $400 will be paid per weapon, depending on the gun, in the form of cash gift cards, the department said in a social media post.
The event will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the parking lot at 425 N. Edison St. in Stockton. Those driving to the buyback will be directed by officers to enter on Harrison Street. Guns must be unloaded and stored in the trunks of vehicles.
To encourage participation, the program is anonymous. Those turning in guns won’t be asked to present identification. All weapons turned in will be destroyed, officials said.
“These events create a safe, nonjudgmental opportunity for residents to dispose of guns that might otherwise be stolen if not safely stored, misused, or involved in accidental shootings,” Edhah said. “Improperly stored firearms are often stolen and used to commit crimes.”
The city is still reeling from one of the worst crimes committed in the last decade. Multiple gunmen burst into a 2-year-old’s birthday party at an event center on Lucile Avenue attended by more than 100 friends and family over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The masked assailants fired more than 50 rounds before escaping. San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said this week that at least five weapons were used in the mass shooting — although it was unclear whether some of the guns involved return fire after the initial attack.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of two 8-year-old cousins, a 14-year-old student-athlete and a 21-year-old man, who family said was trying to protect others when he was gunned down.
A massive manhunt for those involved in the deadly attack is underway, with local, state and federal agencies joining forces in the investigation and search. The combined reward money for tips leading to the apprehension and conviction of the shooters or any accomplices has climbed to $130,000. Tips can be phoned in anonymously to Stockton Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600 or the Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency line at (209) 468-4400.
In offering a gun buyback last April, the Stockton Police Department said the goal was to keep criminals from getting their hands on gun.
“As a part of our gun-violence reduction strategy, allowing individuals to turn in their unwanted firearms voluntarily allows for responsible ownership so that these unwanted firearms do not end up in the wrong hands,” Officer David Scott, a police spokesperson, said at the time.
Gun buybacks have proved to be fairly popular. April’s event netted 113 weapons, including sawed-off shotguns, at least one assault rifle and a semiautomatic pistol. Several operable “ghost guns” were part of the haul. Ghost guns are favorites among criminals as they lack serial numbers, making them untraceable.
Last year, five gun buyback events brought in 592 firearms, police said.
The buybacks, including Saturday’s, are not without controversy, however. The department’s post announcing the event had collected nearly 900 comments by Thursday morning, including some disparaging the program. Many said the arrangement is the government’s attempt to infringe on Second Amendment rights. Some wondered whether criminals are the ones turning in the guns, with one commenter quipping, it’s the “Stockton Evidence Disposal Program.” Others said it’s a flat-out waste of money.
But Scott said the program has a real payoff in saving lives.
“If we can take just one gun off the street, that could save somebody from being a victim. … That’s a success,” he said in April.
Edhah emphasized that assessment in a statement to Stocktonia on Thursday, saying: “By removing even a small number of weapons from homes and streets, buybacks can help prevent tragedies.”
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