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‘Gift Cards for Guns’: Police collect 161 firearms

Kathy Stewart | kstewart@wtop.com

November 18, 2017, 4:02 PM

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Prince George's County Police collected 161 firearms through "Gift Cards for Guns," a trade in program that aims to get guns off the streets. (Courtesy Prince George's County Police)
Prince George’s County Police collected 161 firearms through “Gift Cards for Guns,” a trade in program that aims to get guns off the streets. (Courtesy Prince George’s County Police)
Courtesy Prince George’s County Police
The program has been held by Prince George’s police for six years. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) (Courtesy Prince George’s County Police)
Cpl. Harry Bond with Prince George's County Police said they colelcted about 30 firearms within the first 30 minutes of the program. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Cpl. Harry Bond with Prince George’s County Police said they colelcted about 30 firearms within the first 30 minutes of the program Saturday morning. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
The Prince George’s County Police Department partnered with First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Zion Church and the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center and gave away nearly $20,000 in gift cards at Saturday’s event. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
The Prince George’s County Police Department partnered with First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Zion Church and the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center and gave away nearly $20,000 in gift cards at Saturday’s event. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Different kinds of guns were worth different gift card amounts. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
“There are no questions asked. We’re not checking any IDs,” said Bond. Officers first check if the guns were stolen; if they were, they are returned to the rightful owner. All other firearms are melted down. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
“There are no questions asked. We’re not checking any IDs,” said Bond. Officers first check if the guns were stolen; if they were, they are returned to the rightful owner. All other firearms are melted down. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
The program aims to make communities safer by getting guns off the streets. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Every shotgun or rifle trades in at a $75 gift card; a handgun is worth a $125 gift card; and each semi-automatic handed in earns a $175 gift card. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Jaime Smith, right, and Joseph Young, left, with the Prince George’s County forensic firearms unit helped collect guns on Saturday morning. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
This year, the department collected 161 firearms: 59 long guns and 102 handguns.(Courtesy Prince George's County Police)
This year, the department collected 161 firearms: 59 long guns and 102 handguns. (Courtesy Prince George’s County Police)
Courtesy Prince George’s County Police
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Prince George's County Police collected 161 firearms through "Gift Cards for Guns," a trade in program that aims to get guns off the streets. (Courtesy Prince George's County Police)
Cpl. Harry Bond with Prince George's County Police said they colelcted about 30 firearms within the first 30 minutes of the program. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
The Prince George’s County Police Department partnered with First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Zion Church and the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center and gave away nearly $20,000 in gift cards at Saturday’s event. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
“There are no questions asked. We’re not checking any IDs,” said Bond. Officers first check if the guns were stolen; if they were, they are returned to the rightful owner. All other firearms are melted down. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Every shotgun or rifle trades in at a $75 gift card; a handgun is worth a $125 gift card; and each semi-automatic handed in earns a $175 gift card. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
This year, the department collected 161 firearms: 59 long guns and 102 handguns.(Courtesy Prince George's County Police)
Prince George's County Police collected 161 firearms through "Gift Cards for Guns," a trade in program that aims to get guns off the streets. (Courtesy Prince George's County Police)

WASHINGTON — People waited outside of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Saturday morning to trade in their guns for gift cards.

Within minutes of kicking off this year’s “Gift Cards for Guns,” Prince George’s County police collected more than 30 guns, said Cpl. Harry Bond.

The trade-in program started in 2012 and aims to make the community safer by taking guns off the streets.

Each shotgun or rifle was worth a $75 gift card, a handgun was worth a $125 gift card, and each semi-automatic handed in earned a $175 gift card.

“One guy came in with a bin full of handguns, and he will get a gift card for each handgun he brought in,” said Bond. “There are no questions asked. We’re not checking any IDs.”

Officers first check if the guns were stolen; if they were, they are returned to the rightful owner. All other firearms are melted down.

The Prince George’s County Police Department partnered with First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Zion Church and the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center. The partners gave away nearly $20,000 in gift cards at Saturday’s event.

This year, the department collected 161 firearms: 59 long guns and 102 handguns. In 2015, they gathered about 300 firearms.

On the way out of the event, one woman smiled and said she was going to the mall to spend her gift card.

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