Hahn Will Bring Successful Gun Buyback Model to Pico Rivera
Event is ninth in a string of buybacks collecting nearly 1,300 guns
Pico Rivera, CA—On Saturday, December 16, 2023, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn will hold a gun buyback event at the Pico Rivera City Hall in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The event will welcome residents from 9am to 1pm and offers an opportunity to exchange any gun for gift cards, no questions asked. Media is invited to a 10am press conference on site. See details below.
“Time and time again at these events we hear from residents that they didn’t know what else to do with these guns. What they did know is that they wanted to get them out of their homes and away from their families. This is the perfect opportunity, and with gift season just days away, you can drive away with hundreds of dollars in gift cards, no questions asked,” said Hahn. “This is an opportunity that hundreds of people have already taken us up on, choosing safer homes and neighborhoods and some extra spending money on top of it.”
Saturday’s buyback will be Hahn’s ninth. Between the previous eight held in Lynwood, North Long Beach, Norwalk, Wilmington, Long Beach, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, and Bellflower beginning in May 2022, Hahn’s initiative has taken in and destroyed 1,292 unwanted firearms.
In Pico Rivera Hahn will be joined by the city’s mayor and councilmembers as well as LA County Sheriff’s Department South Patrol Division Commander Allen M. Castellano. Sarah Wirtz, an advocate from Women Against Gun Violence who lost a niece in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, will also be present. Women Against Gun Violence have donated 50 gun locks that will be given away on Saturday. The simple devices help prevent accidental discharge or use of the gun by someone other than the owner, such as a child.
There are important guidelines to participating in the buyback that ensure the safety of the public and deputies. Participants should not arrive on foot or transit, and should transport firearms unloaded and in the trunk of a vehicle.
Participants will receive gift cards in amounts according to the type of gun exchanged.
• Non-functioning firearms or parts: $50
• Working pistols, rifles shotguns: $100
• Ghost guns: $200
• Assault rifles: $300
3D and homemade guns will be evaluated for value on the day of the event. Gift card quantities are limited and subject to availability.
Media is invited to a 10am press conference. RSVP to lodendahl@bos.lacounty.gov or call (213) 379-6301.
What: Gun Buyback and Press Conference
Who: Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Pico Rivera Mayor Andrew Lara, Pico Rivera City Councilmember John Garcia, Pico Rivera City Councilmember Gustavo Camacho, Pico Rivera City Councilmember Erik Lutz, Pico Rivera City Councilmember Dr. Monica Sanchez, Sarah Wirtz (advocate from Women Against Gun Violence), LA County Sheriff’s Department South Patrol Division Commander Allen M. Castellano
Where: Pico Rivera City Hall, 6615 Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA
When: Saturday, December 16, 2023; Gun Buyback operates from 9am to 1pm, Press Conference begins at 10am
Visuals: Surrendered firearms being processed, Hahn and councilmembers touring buyback
Download full-page flyer here.
Footage of Hahn’s Long Beach buyback event can be found here. Credit: LA36