Partnering to make the community safer, the Safe Alliances for Everyone (SAFE) Task Force and Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) will cohost a third gun buyback program Saturday, Sept. 17. The event at the Burton Heights Lot, 30 Burton St SW, takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
Those wishing to dispose of their firearms are asked to transport unloaded weapons in the trunk of a vehicle. Personnel will not ask questions or collect any personal information. In exchange for each firearm turned in, residents will receive a gift card ranging from $100 for revolvers, shotguns and rifles to $200 for assault-type rifles and semi-automatic handguns. Black powder firearms will be accepted for disposal, but gift cards will not be given for such. Quantities of gift cards are limited and subject to availability.
The buyback program is part of SAFE’s and the GRPD’s ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime in the city. The event is funded through a $40,000 contribution from the SAFE Task Force. In 2020, during its first two buyback events, SAFE and the GRPD collected a total of 267 firearms. This year, through its enforcement efforts, the GRPD has taken more than 360 illegal guns off the street.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the gun buyback program is another crime prevention measure and part of the department’s philosophy in reshaping and reimagining policing in Grand Rapids.
“This program will help us continue to get guns off the street and provide community members who no longer want to have firearms in their home a place to safely dispose of them,” he said. “Removing these weapons will make the community safer by limiting access to firearms by those emboldened to use them in criminal acts.
“I thank the members of the SAFE Task Force for financially supporting this effort. This program is another example of how the people of Grand Rapids are working in partnership to address violence in the community,” he said.
“Our gun buyback programs are a proactive approach to reducing the number of unwanted firearms in our community,” Asante Cain, assistant to the city manager, said. “The SAFE Task Force is proud to partner with the Police Department is hosting this event and working towards our shared goal of ending gun violence.”
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