The Lead

Philly to hold gun buy-back event on Saturday

By: - January 21, 2021 11:27 am

By Michael D’Onofrio

PHILADELPHIA — Get rid of your gun this weekend and get paid for it.

City officials and community stakeholders will hold a gun buy-back on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Yesha Ministries, 2301 Snyder Ave. and Greater Exodus Baptist Church, 704 North Broad St.

Individuals can turn in working handguns or semi-automatic firearms in order to receive a $100 gift certificate to Brown’s ShopRite stores in the city.

The gun buy-back comes after a massive spike in homicides in Philadelphia last year, when 499 killings were reported, marking a 30-year high.

As of Tuesday, the city had 27 homicides, down 4 percent from that time last year.

The gun buy-back is put on by the Philadelphia City Council, the Father’s Day Rally Committee, the Greenfield Foundation, Brown’s ShopRite Markets, the Philadelphia police Department, and community anti-violence leaders.

Funding for the gift certificates was provided by the Greenfield Foundation.

Michael D’Onofrio is a reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune, where this story first appeared. 

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