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Despite Saturday's rainy weather, the anonymous gun buyback San Mateo County It was a resounding success, collecting a record number of assault weapons and paying out all available funds to participants.
Authorities said in a statement that a total of 297 firearms were handed over, including a record number of 24 assault weapons, four ghost pistols and one machine gun. The collected firearms will be processed for destruction.
Residents were paid between $50 and $200 depending on the firearm, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said, adding that all available funds for the event were spent, an unprecedented occurrence since San Mateo County began hosting gun buybacks in 2018.
“Participation in Saturday’s anonymous gun buyback speaks to the importance of events like this that provide community members with an avenue to remove unwanted firearms from their homes, ultimately creating a safer San Mateo County,” said Sheriff Christina Corpus.
He added that this action taken by residents "helps prevent tragic accidents involving unsafe firearms and is another step to ensure that these firearms do not end up in the wrong hands."
The Sheriff's Office and its partners plan to host another gun buyback in 2024 at a date to be determined.
The four-hour event on Saturday in South San Francisco included the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, San Mateo County, San Mateo County Citizens Gun Buyback, Colma Police Department, Daly City Police Department, San Bruno Police Department and South San Francisco Police Department.
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