Bellflower, CA—Today, a gun buyback sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department collected 142 guns, including 8 assault rifles and 4 ghost guns, a term used to describe unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home. The event was held in a parking lot at Simms Park. Residents exchanged any unwanted gun for gift cards, no questions asked and without leaving their vehicle.
“Over and over again at these events, we hear from people that they didn’t know what else to do with guns they had in their homes and didn’t want anymore. We actually had to open this event earlier than planned this morning because the line of cars was so long. People want a safe, easy way to get these weapons out of their homes and away from their families and these buybacks provide that,” said Hahn. “There are 142 fewer guns out there now, that won’t be stolen and used in a crime, or won’t fall into the hands of a child or someone considering suicide. That makes all of our time and effort more than worth it.”
This was Hahn’s seventh gun buyback event since last May. Altogether, she and her partners in law enforcement have collected over 1,286 unwanted guns from events in Long Beach, Artesia, Lynwood, Hawaiian Gardens, and Wilmington. Each event is funded by Supervisor Hahn’s office, with the Sheriff’s Department providing deputies to staff the event and collect and destroy weapons.
Los Angeles County Assistant Sheriff Johnson, Bellflower Mayor Sonny Santa Ines, and Bellflower Councilmember Victor Sanchez joined Hahn for a press conference at the event.
“This is not about vilifying responsible gun owners, it’s not about infringing upon one’s Second Amendment rights, it’s about promoting safety, responsibility, and reducing the chance of accidental or intentional harm these guns will cause in our communities,” said LA County Assistant Sheriff Myron Johnson during the press conference.