‘We aren’t going to stop now’
But city’s gun buyback program running out of funds
Boston METRO, 6/30/2006
BOSTON City officials are desperately reaching out to the community and
businesses in a last ditch effort to raise money for the gun buyback program,
which is slowly running out of funds with almost two weeks left.
Already, more than 525 guns have been turned in at police
stations and community centers citywide since the program began on June 12. In
exchange for guns, people receive $200 Target gift cards, and at this point, the
city has gone through more than $75,000, according to Boston Police Deputy Superintendent
Darren Greeley.
“I can’t believe we are having this volume of people coming
in, and we are hitting a diverse demographic: the mothers, the sisters, the
grandmothers, the brothers,” Greeley said. “We aren’t going to stop now. I’m conf dent the community will step up
and not let us down.”
Greeley said police
officers are not just turning over gift cards to anyone — they are reserving
them for Boston residents and making sure the guns are operational.
Chris Sumner, executive director of the Boston Ten-Point
Coalition and one of the community partners in the program, said he believes
it’s been successful because people are craving to do their part to combat the
rising crime in the city.
“In a community that has been overwhelmed with violence, it
gives them an avenue to have a direct impact,” Sumner said. “People, in
general, want to make these kinds of decisions.”
According to accounts from Sumner and Greeley, the people
turning in the guns run the gamut: grandmothers scared about the pistol they
found in their grandson’s closet, 20-year-olds looking to distance themselves
from gangs and young men who’ve lost friends to violence.
“It just brings to fruition that our community has the ability
to step up to the plate to save our babies,” Sumner said.
After the program ends on July 14, police officials will
evaluate its effectiveness and consider restarting it in the fall or next year.
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