In Oakland, assault-style rifles and Uzi-type pistols landed on church grounds instead of city streets, as the latest faith-based "Guns to Gardens" buyback last Saturday drew residents looking to trade in firearms for store credit and, in some cases, garden tools forged from earlier surrendered weapons.
Photos shared by organizers show a heap of hardware that would look more at home in an action movie than a church parking lot: AK-variant rifles, Uzi-style pistols and a MAC-10 all stacked together. Participants walked away with Target gift cards worth up to $300, while a few also picked up handcrafted tools made from melted-down guns from previous events. The pictures highlight an ongoing push by local faith leaders and city partners to pull unsecured firearms out of homes and off Oakland streets.
Photos show a wide array of weapons
According to a post from the Oakland Police Department, the buyback drew support from community partners, volunteers, Mayor Barbara Lee, OPD’s Ceasefire team and the Crime Gun Intelligence Center. In the photos, officers methodically tag and load surrendered firearms into department vehicles while volunteers log serial numbers nearby. Organizers stressed that the event was a no-questions-asked exchange designed to help people safely dispose of guns they no longer wanted at home.
How many guns were turned in?
Accounts from the day do not line up perfectly. The police department’s post estimated that about 90 firearms were surrendered, while local coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle put the tally closer to 98. That reporting also noted that the collection included AK-style rifles, an AR-15, several Glock pistols and at least two Uzi-type submachine guns. Both police and organizers said every weapon is run through crime databases before being permanently disabled and ultimately forged into tools or recycled.
What participants received
Event materials explained that anyone turning in a firearm could receive Target gift cards worth up to $300, with the amount varying by type of gun. Some participants additionally picked up a handmade garden tool crafted from a firearm surrendered at an earlier buyback. Last Saturday's event was hosted at At Thy Word Ministries, part of an ongoing effort described on St. Paul’s “Guns to Gardens” page, which outlines the faith-based mission to transform weapons into tools for community use. Organizers say they are still looking for donors and city backing to keep similar events running on a quarterly schedule.
Do buybacks reduce violence?
Research on whether events like this actually lower gun violence is far from clear-cut. Major reviews of gun policy, including one from RAND, have found that voluntary buybacks on their own are unlikely to produce large drops in homicides. At the same time, they can remove unsecured guns from homes, potentially prevent thefts or accidents and serve as a visible reminder that communities are trying to address gun harm.
Organizers push for more backing
Leaders behind the Oakland event say they want to keep the momentum going but need reliable funding and volunteers to do it. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, Mayor Barbara Lee attended the buyback and used the moment to speak bluntly about the kinds of weapons coming in. “This is about getting these weapons of war off of the streets,” she said. Organizers framed the buyback as one piece of a broader violence-prevention strategy that also leans on outreach work, OPD’s Ceasefire program and crime-gun tracing efforts.
Past Guns to Gardens events have already taken dozens of firearms out of circulation; Hoodline previously covered one Oakland run that collected 58 firearms. Organizers say future dates will be announced as soon as they can secure enough funding and volunteer support to keep turning guns into gardening gear.
