Residents of El Paso County made their way to the Ascarate County Tax Office on Saturday morning, utilizing the final opportunity to disarm their households willingly as part of a gun buyback event, a fixture in the community that will soon be no more due to impending state legislation. According to KTSM, County Commissioner Jackie Butler and Sheriff Oscar Ugarte have advocated for these events as measures to curb the potential for firearms-related accidents or criminal activities by removing unwanted weapons from private homes, offering gift cards in various amounts up to $200 depending on the type of firearm surrendered.
The buyback, detailed by KFOX-TV, comes ahead of the enactment of House Bill 3053, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, set to take effect on September 1st, which under its stipulations will outlaw these types of community events preventing local governments from engaging in such gun collection initiatives; the bill, supporters say addresses the misuse of taxpayer dollars and brings focus back to tackling criminal behaviorat its core, not merely the instruments through which it may manifest. This change follows a legislative session that pushed through reforms in stark contrast to the efforts made by El Paso County officials in recent years to deliver a safe method for disposing of firearms.
The concerns raised by Butler, echoing the statistics revealed by County Attorney Christina Sanchez, who, in an interview with KTSM, highlighted a growing number of juvenile offenses involving firearms, reaching 46 by mid-August 2025, compared to 38 in 2024, are being left unaddressed as the new state law sweeps in. Butler emphasized that "We're just trying to do our best not only to dispose of unwanted guns but also to talk about gun safety and the importance of keeping the guns if you do have them safely stored, especially if you have teenagers, kids in your home, or anybody who may be susceptible to gun violence," as per KFOX-TV.
