HOUSTON – Houston held its third gun buyback event Saturday morning and it was an overall success, officials say.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the gun buyback event received 793 guns with more than 400 Houstonians participating.
“The @HCSOTexas collected hundreds of guns today. I believe each weapon collected may potentially prevent a child, a domestic violence abuser, someone with mental health issues or intent on committing a violent crime from getting their hands on that gun,” tweeted Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
GUN BUY BACK: Houston hosting third gun buy back event on Saturday
The previous gun buyback event collected a record number of firearms totaling more than 1,200.
According to Sheriff Gonzalez, the guns and rifles collected from the buyback are destroyed.
The event’s purpose is to help create a safer Houston and reduce gun violence, according to the mayor. Participants received gift cards in exchange for turning in their firearms.
Those who participated in the third gun buyback have reportedly expressed issues redeeming their gift card codes.
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Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis issued the following statement in response to the problems:
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“We are hearing reports of problems with the online gift cards issued at today’s gun buyback. To all those who are having issues, please know that we share your frustration and we are working with the gift card vendor, Online Rewards, to make this right. They have informed us that this is a technical problem that is being fixed and promised that the issue will be resolved on Monday. Please redeem your gift card at that time. If you continue to have issues, contact our office at [email protected].
We are committed to ensuring that every person who turned in a firearm today gets compensated.”
