By Ruth Dusseault. Bay City News.
On Saturday, a number of Bay Area police and sheriff departments held a gun buyback event in San Francisco, where they recovered 223 firearms, including five assault weapons and two untraceable ghost guns.
In the coming days, after their serial numbers are recorded, all weapons will be taken to a recycling facility and destroyed.
The program is funded in part by San Francisco County Citizens for Gun Buybacks and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 2016, San Mateo voters approved the extension of the Measure K half-cent sales tax, which has helped fund the buyback program for four years. This is the last of eight buybacks in that grant cycle.
“We have guns that come from people from all walks of life,” said Sgt. Javier Acosta of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. “Some of the guns are from people who inherited them and don’t want to use them. Most of them are handguns.”
The biannual event also has an educational component, where law enforcement and staff are available to answer questions and concerns about firearm safety. It is unclear whether funding for the program will be renewed.
On November 3, San Mateo County posted a Notice of Funding Opportunity on its website, requesting proposals for the use of Measure K funds, with applications due January 5.
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