East L.A. gun buyback yields 152 weapons, Sheriff’s Dept. says
A gun buyback event held over the weekend in East Los Angeles yielded 152 weapons, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said this week.
The cache of weapons exchanged for gift cards to Target or Ralphs included several assault rifles as well as handguns, shotguns and standard riles, the department said.
The event was held Saturday at Belvedere Park, one of several such sessions that encourage residents to turn in guns, no questions asked, in exchange for gift cards or in some cases cash.
The department has the weapons destroyed, officials said.
The gift cards were purchased with narcotics forfeiture funds.
The Sheriff’s Department held its first gun buyback program in Compton several years ago and the popularity of such events has grown as other police agencies also developed their own buyback programs.
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