It was a sizeable haul in Anaheim as residents turned in a cache of 350 unwanted firearms, including assault rifles and handguns, during a gun buyback event organized to prevent future catastrophes, the city reported the action as a voluntary measure aimed at enhancing community safety.
The weapons, no longer needed or wanted by their owners, ranged from dangerous "ghost guns" to California-defined assault rifles and palm-sized .22-caliber mini revolvers; they were collected by the Anaheim Police and will be melted down. An Anaheim initiative seeks to mitigate the risk of arms falling into the wrong hands, being misused in crimes, or, worst of all, contributing to the horrors of an accidental shooting or a suicide, according to the City of Anaheim.
Participants at the Brookhurst Community Center were given up to $300 in gift cards from partners like Costco, Target, and ARCO gas stations for operable guns; however, inoperable firearms were accepted purely as a community service, with no incentives provided.
The collective effort, according to Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, is a push towards promoting safe, responsible gun ownership while also clutching the specter of violence from the throats of communities, she stated, "Helping to securely dispose of unwanted firearms makes our community safer by keeping them from falling into the wrong hands, being used in crime or, heaven forbid, in a tragedy," as per the City of Anaheim, no-questions-asked approach to the event held in partnership with various Orange County law enforcement agencies, with the intent to make participation as unrestrained as possible for gun owners looking to rid themselves of these potentially lethal tools.
The event, supported by Orange County Supervisors Doug Chaffee and Vicente Sarmiento, also saw California Attorney General Rob Bonta join forces with Mayor Aitken in commending the community-oriented effort that puts a spotlight on gun safety and proactive measures against gun violence, a sentiment that echoes widely in the wake of continued national concern over gun-related tragedies.
