HOUSTON — The One Safe Houston violent crime reduction program hosted its latest event Saturday in northeast Harris County.
According to Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Houstonians traded in nearly 800 guns at the event.
The event went from 8 a.m. to noon at Deussen Park. People turning in guns will got gift cards ranging from $50 to $200, depending on the type of weapon and whether it still works.
“We don’t ask questions,” Ellis said. “We don’t care if they come from other counties.”
There was initially a vendor issue with the gift cards that Ellis said has since been resolved.
Law enforcement will check whether guns are linked to crimes before destroying them.
In the first event, police collected more than 800 firearms and gave out nearly $100,000 in gift cards. More than 1,200 firearms were collected during the last event in July.
“Just last week, the (Major Cities Chiefs Association) published statistics for the majority of the major U.S. cities for 2022,” said Turner on Monday. “The City of Houston had the largest drop in most serious crimes of any metropolitan region in the country.”
Critics said studies have shown no real evidence that gun buyback programs reduce crime.
Meanwhile, if you don't want to give away your gun for some cash, the Harris County District Attorney's Office is giving away free gun safes for residents. At least 1,000 gun safes have been purchased and will be distributed at various monthly meetings held by the Houston Police Department, according to the DA's office.