None, CT
Past
Connecticut's 4th Annual Statewide Gun Buyback Set for October 5
Connecticut will host its 4th Annual #KeepKidsSafe Statewide Gun Buyback and Gun Safe Giveaway on Saturday, October 5, 2024.The initiative, coordinated by the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation in partnership with multiple police departments, provides residents a secure and anonymous method to dispose of unwanted firearms while promoting safe storage practices for legal gun owners.Event DetailsDate: Saturday, October 5, 2024Time: Varies by location (most locations 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Gun Buyback Locations:Guilford Police Department, 400 Church St. (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Hartford Police Department, 50 Jennings Road (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)Meriden Police Department, 30 Butler St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Newtown Police Department, 191 South Main St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Norwalk Police Department, 1 Monroe St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Stamford Police Department, 725 Bedford St. (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)Waterbury Police Training Center, 240 Bank St. (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Gun Safe Giveaway Locations:Bridgeport Police Department, 300 Congress St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Cheshire Police Department, 500 Highland Ave. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Danbury Police Department, 375 Main St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Easton Police Department, 700 Morehouse Road (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)New Haven Police Department, 230 Ashmun St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)New London Police Department, 5 Governor Winthrop Boulevard (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Middletown Police Department, 222 Main St. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Plainfield Police Department, 210 Norwich Road (9 a.m. to noon)Terms of Exchange:$200 gift card for assault weapons$100 gift card for pistols and revolvers$50 gift card for rifles and shotguns$25 gift card for single- and double-shot handgunsNon-working guns, ammunition, BB guns, and pellet guns may be turned in but are not eligible for gift cardsEligibility: Open to all residents, no identification required, completely anonymousAdditional Information:Firearms must be unloaded and safely stored in a bag or boxGuns must be transported in the trunk of the carFree PIN code gun safes available on a first-come, first-served basis for legal gun ownersProgram History and SpreadSince its inception, the statewide gun buyback program has collected over 1,178 firearms and distributed more than 828 gun safes to permit-holding gun owners.Last year alone, 79 gun safes were given away at the Hartford event, with many attendees arriving not to surrender firearms but to learn about proper gun storage options."We've been hosting gun buybacks in the city of Hartford for about 15 years, but we've always kind of been alone on an island with it, so we're really happy that it's come to this statewide level," said Sgt. Christopher Mastroianni of the Hartford Police Department.Safety AdvocacyThe event is supported by a coalition of anti-violence groups, public health officials, and law enforcement agencies. Dr. David Shapiro, chief medical officer and trauma surgeon at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, emphasized that the initiative is not anti-gun but rather focused on safety."As a trauma surgeon, as someone who is an advocate at a hospital and as someone who has worked strongly against gun-related injuries in the last 16 years of my career, the most important message here today is to keep our kids and family safe," Shapiro said. "Keep them safe by storing firearms properly and turning them in if you don't want them."Personal TestimonyThe program has strong support from families affected by gun violence. Kristen Song, who lost her 15-year-old son Ethan in 2018 after he accidentally shot himself with an unsecured gun at a friend's house, has been a vocal advocate for gun safety. Through the Ethan Miller Song Foundation, she continues to highlight the urgency of safe gun storage."I am a broken mother," she said. "My family has been shattered. This is my reality every day and every night, to think all this pain and suffering could have been prevented in seconds."Song's advocacy led to the passage of Ethan's Law in 2019, which requires gun owners to store their weapons in secure storage or safety devices.In 2023, Connecticut strengthened these protections with House Bill 6667, which carries harsher penalties for those who fail to store firearms safely.Community ImpactAccording to Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, "When homes have guns that are not safely stored, there's a 50% higher chance of someone in that household being hurt." The distribution of over 350 biometric gun safes during this year's event aims to address this risk.Police departments across the state view the buyback program as an essential community service."We feel it's important to give people a process and a method to dispose of unwanted firearms," said Mastroianni.Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo echoed this sentiment, stating, "This gun buyback is a vital step in promoting safety and preventing gun violence in our city."For more information about the event, residents can visit NewtownActionAllianceFoundation.org or contact their local police department directly. The event will operate on a first-come, first-served basis during the designated hours at each location.
