El Monte : Police Will Buy Guns From Residents for $50
El Monte police, who bought 200 firearms from residents last week to take the weapons out of circulation, will be buying buy back guns again this Saturday.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., gun owners can receive $50 for each rifle, handgun, shotgun or other firearm turned in at the back of Police Department headquarters, 11333 Valley Blvd.
The $10,000 used to buy privately owned guns last weekend came from asset forfeiture money--property or cash recovered in drug busts, El Monte police said. Another $5,000 will be used in an effort to buy back 100 more weapons this weekend. The guns will be melted down.
The weapons bought last weekend were mainly “Saturday night specials,” .22- and .25-caliber handguns that are small enough to fit inside a pocket. Typically, such weapons are used in robberies or shootings, police said.
The recovered weapons will be checked to see if they are stolen, said El Monte Police Community Relations Supervisor Ken Weldon. But he added, “Our main goal is to get guns off the street, not put people in jail.”
Those who do not wish to handle their guns can have the weapon picked up by calling (818) 580-2110.
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