HOUSTON — More than 500 guns were collected at the City of Houston’s fifth gun buyback event that was held Saturday at the METRO facility on Harwin. The gun buyback program is part of the One Safe Houston Initiative the city launched in 2021 to decrease violent crime.
City officials said 559 guns were handed over and $77,850 in gift cards were distributed to attendees who turned in guns.
Like past gun buyback events, the city partnered with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to make it all happen. HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said it’s an opportunity for law enforcement to serve the community in a different way.
“On a number of occasions, we’ve heard from individuals that said, ‘My loved one passed away. They had weapons. I do not want them in the house and I did not have a safe way of disposing of them,’” the sheriff said. “This provides that option. We want to make sure we’re preventing those instances where maybe someone is perhaps breaking into a home and someone comes across those weapons and now it lands on the wrong hands.”
Gun locks and gun safes were also distributed at the event.