Guns will be bought Wednesday -- the day after Christmas -- by Los Angeles police, working in conjunction with the Mayor’s Gang Reduction & Youth Development program.
The citywide program is intended to make its communities safer, officials said.
The program began in 2009 and since then, almost 8,000 guns have been surrendered by residents, officials said.
That number equates to 2,600 fewer gang crimes, officials contend.
A 33 percent reduction in the number of “Shots Fired” incidents also has been noted and 241 fewer people have been shot since the surrender of the nearly 8,000 guns, officials said.
Authorities believe a correlation could be made between a decrease in gun-related crime and the buyback program.
The guns can be surrendered anonymously and in a drive-through situation, officials said.
Officers will hand out gift cards for the weapons, with no paperwork involved.
In the San Fernando Valley, guns may be surrendered in Van Nuys at the Van Nuys Masonic Temple, 14750 Sherman Way and in South Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Sports Arena – Parking Lot #6, Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and Figueroa Street.
Anyone with additional questions may contact the Mayor’s Office Gang Reduction and Youth Development program office at 213-473-7796 or email officials at lagryd@lacity.org; one may also contact LAPD Media Relations Section at 213-486-5910.
