NORTHAMPTON – As part of an effort to curb gun violence, Valley residents on Saturday are invited to exchange their unwanted firearms for a $50 gift card.
The Valley Gun Buy Back program will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Northampton and Greenfield police stations. The effort is organized by the Northwestern District Attorney’s office and the mayor’s offices and police departments in Northampton and Greenfield. It is funded though $12,000 in private donations.
“It’s really a time for the community to step back and say ‘Do we really need this gun in our household?’” Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said at a Tuesday press briefing in Northampton. “There’s a lot of weapons that have been sitting around in drawers and in closets that present and incredible pediatric risk.”
Sullivan, Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz and Police Chief Jody Kasper said the buyback is a safe and easy way to dispose of unwanted or unsecured weapons in order to keep them out of the wrong hands.
The weapons must be unloaded and in working order and delivered in a bag. Participants will be given a $50 Visa gift card for each firearm they turn in. Ammunition will also be accepted.
Participation is completely anonymous. “No questions asked,” Sullivan said.
“We know there are a lot of people out there who may have firearms and might not know how to get rid of them,” Kasper said.
The guns will be ground up by WTE Recycling in Greenfield.
The district attorney’s office held the first buyback in 2013, a total of 301 guns were collected in Greenfield – including two semiautomatic weapons, a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun and a Davis “Saturday night special.”
Narkewicz pointed out that an unneeded gun can also present a theft risk. Stolen guns in turn be sold or traded illegally, he said. Narkewicz meets with other mayors and law enforcement officials to collaborate on gun violence reduction efforts. The New England Regional Gun Violence Summit convened most recently in April, according to the mayor’s office.
He’s also a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and on Jun. 2 issued a proclamation recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Sullivan said that having easy access to a weapon can mean grave consequences for someone who is contemplating suicide.
“I think it’s really important that we as a community come together and say so much of gun violence in America is preventable,” Sullivan said.
Sponsors include Baystate Health; Valley Medical Group; the sheriffs’ associations of Hampshire and Franklin counties; Convenient Cards; the Committee to Elect Stan Rosenberg; the Easthampton Police Association; the Greenfield Police Association; New England Environmental; Northampton Pediatrics; Northampton Police Association; Partners Healthcare; Sasson, Turnbull, Ryan & Hoose; ServiceNet; Western Mass Chiefs of Police Association; WTE Recycling; Bruce and Ruth Hawkins; Greenfield Savings Bank; state Rep. Ellen Story; Claire L. Bateman Trust; Attorney Jeff Morneau; Clinical & Support Options; and Freedom Credit Union.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com.