An anonymous gun “buyback” event in Santa Barbara collected more than 100 guns Saturday while providing retail gift cards to those who surrendered them.
Officers received 145 firearms, four assault rifles, 61 handguns and 80 long guns, Santa Barbara police Sgt. John Ingram said after the collection at Earl Warren Showgrounds.
Eighty-four vehicles passed the collection point, he said.
When each weapon was turned in, its serial number was recorded and checked by an officer to ensure it had not been reported as stolen. The weapons were then delivered to police headquarters and, ultimately, will be destroyed, shredded and recycled.
The guns were stacked in one of the showgrounds’ parking lots Saturday morning.
“Some of these guns are rusted and some are pristine,” Ingram told Noozhawk.
While supplies lasted, gift cards from various retailers were given to people in exchange for the weapons.
Volunteers handed out about 135 Smart & Final and Metropolitan Theatres gift cards during the four-hour event. The effort was funded by a $10,000 donation from the City of Santa Barbara, along with sponsorships from St. George and Associates, the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee and CARP Growers, which describes itself as a Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers.
Ammunition for handguns, shotguns and rifles also was accepted, but gift cards were not provided in exchange for it. Explosives or military ordnance such as hand grenades or artillery shells were not permitted.
Free gun locks were available, again while supplies lasted.
People were asked to fill out anonymous surveys after the exchange.
Police partnered with the nonprofit gun control organization, Coalition Against Gun Violence, to host the fifth gun buyback event, which aims to remove unwanted guns from the community to reduce the risk of homicide, suicide and fatal accidents.
Another intent of the event is to raise awareness about gun violence.
“This is the only gun buyback in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties — once a year and for a few hours,” said Jacqueline Inda, a member of the Coalition Against Gun Violence. “Imagine the impact if every one of those jurisdictions pitched in the way that Santa Barbara does.”
Local government officials and supporters, including Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County and the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, were on hand at the gathering.
Toni Wellen, president of Coalition Against Gun Violence, said an estimated 40,000 Americans died from gunshots last year, calling it “a national pandemic.”
In emphasizing the success of gun buyback events, Wellen pointed to Australia, which changed its gun laws after a 1996 mass shooting that killed 35 people. A major decrease in gun crimes ensued, she said.
“There has never been a mass shooting in Australia since then,” she said. “We are all touched by gun violence.”
During a news conference, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, touted her legislation to restrict gun ownership among Californians who have been convicted of certain alcohol-related offenses.
The bill, SB 55, passed the Senate on a 26-10 vote in May and heads to the Assembly next. If enacted, the law would prohibit people convicted of certain crimes from possessing firearms either permanently or for a 10-year period, Jackson explained.
The law is based on research by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program that prior alcohol-related convictions were associated with a four to fivefold increase in the risk of incident arrest for a violent or firearm-related crime, she said. The relative risk increase is greater than that seen for age or sex, according to the study.
“The proliferation of firearms has become truly an epidemic in this country, and we can’t allow gun violence to be normalized — it is not who we are,” said Jackson, who cited the 2014 Isla Vista massacre and the 2018 mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
“Every day, there is an incident of gun violence.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
