While helping her mother move out of her Savannah home, Bera Green said she found three guns that her mom didn’t even know were there.
With no use for them, she decided to turn them over to Atlanta police Saturday morning during their “Gun Buyback” event. As part of Mayor Andre Dickens’ One Safe City initiative in collaboration with Crime Stoppers Atlanta, people were encouraged to bring handguns and long guns for cash in an attempt to reduce gun violence, accidental shootings and firearms in the hands of felons.
“I’m not that kind of person to carry them,” Green said after turning in the weapons to Atlanta police. “I love protection, but I don’t like violence and three guns was overkill.”
The event, which went from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was held in the parking lot of the Atlanta Civic Center, wrapped up with a total of 142 long guns and 160 handguns from a total of 152 cars.
According to Dickens, about 26 accidental self-inflected gunshot wounds have been reported to police this year — five of those involved children playing with guns. With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Dickens said he hopes the event also helps reduce the chances of a domestic incident turning deadly.
“This is a way for people to turn in guns that they don’t want in their homes, so they can keep their children safe,” Dickens said. “Also, if there’s a domestic violence scenario, you can get rid of this gun. And if you just want to reduce crime altogether.”
Before the event began, several cars lined up inside the parking lot of the Civic Center and eventually wrapped around the block. Guns were placed in the back seat or trunk of each vehicle prior to an officer taking them.
Credit: Caroline Silva
Credit: Caroline Silva
Though the people turning in guns will not be investigated and remain anonymous to police, Interim Chief Darin Schierbaum said all guns will be checked on the national database. This year alone, the department has seized about 1,900 guns from felons and individuals who should not have possessed them, Schierbaum said.
“But these citizens today are removing guns from environments that we have no access to, and that will be contributing to the safety of our city,” Schierbaum added.
Many of the firearms Schierbaum had said he expected to see are those that people no longer want, but they nevertheless help reduce gun violence in the city.
Green is one of those people — she knew she had to get rid of her mother’s guns when she stumbled upon them. Arriving an hour before the event even started hoping to beat the long line, Green was asked to come back later and was surprised at how many people decided to join in on the effort.
“I came earlier and I was the first one here at 9 o’clock because I was trying to avoid a long line. But when I came back, here it is. It’s longer than I expected,” Green said.
Seeing such a long line at the event was encouraging for Dickens and Schierbaum. They said it shows collaboration between residents and law enforcement to ensure a safer city.
“We have to have citizens that are prepared to participate in our safety,” Dickens said “That means making sure their guns are safely stored, but also getting rid of access to guns so you don’t have that potential accident waiting to happen.”
Credit: Caroline Silva
Credit: Caroline Silva
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