In a move timed ahead of the holiday season, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) conducted gun turn-in events, and collected firearms from the public with "no questions asked." The events, hosted on Saturday, were an effort by the CPD to reduce the number of guns in the community, thus potentially lowering the chances of gun-related incidents during a time when many gather with family and are at home more frequently.
According to a Chicago Tribune report, Glen Brooks, the CPD's director of community policing, acknowledged the heightened risk during the holiday season, as more people tend to find guns they might have forgotten about due to more time spent at home. The events, one in Englewood and one in Pullman offered incentives for turning in firearms, with $100 gift cards for real guns and $10 for replicas.
The initiative saw residents coming in with various types of weapons, including handguns and shotguns, without the requirement to provide personal details. After submission, the firearms were made safe by officers and were set to be destroyed eventually. Joe Wodynski, a participant who turned in rifles and a shotgun, found value in the program after being diagnosed with leukemia, sharing with the Chicago Tribune, "I've been diagnosed with a type of leukemia, and my kids don’t want them."
Moreover, a FOX 32 Chicago article detailed the location of these events, with one being held at People’s Church of the Harvest in Garfield Park and the other at Star of Bethlehem Community Church in Hanson Park. "A lot of times people have guns, whether they've inherited them, whether they no longer want them or whether they find them, we give them an opportunity to turn in those guns and make their homes that much safer," Brooks told FOX 32 Chicago.
Participation in these gun turn-ins has varied over time, from receiving 3,000 guns in a day to roughly 500 earlier in the year, as per Brooks' statement to the Chicago Tribune. With the long lifespan and durability of firearms, the CPD sees this initiative as a crucial way for citizens to make a proactive choice for safety, reducing potential harm from accidents, suicides, or criminal activity.
