Sheriff’s Office, nonprofit partner for gun buyback event

Turn in your firearms for cash this weekend at a gun buyback event hosted by a local nonprofit, in partnership with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. 

In a news release, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) said it doesn’t keep any information on participants and they can turn in as many guns as they’d like as long as they are in working condition and unloaded. The event will be held in the parking lot of La Mesa Presbyterian Church.

The amount of cash — which is provided by NMPGV, not the sheriff’s office — depends on the type of weapon. 

∙         $250.00 for an assault weapon

∙         $200.00 for a semi-automatic handgun or semi-automatic rifle

∙         $100.00 for a long guns, revolvers and pistols

“Law enforcement agencies across the country are seeing the benefit of buyback programs as an effective tool to get unwanted guns out of homes and communities, reducing the risk of these guns ending up in unsafe hands,” Sheriff John Allen said in the news release.

NMPGV said it has facilitated and funded 19 gun buybacks, removing 2,500 firearms from the streets. Of those guns, close to 40% were semi-automatic firearms and assault-style weapons, according to a news release.

BCSO staff will run all of the guns through the National Crime Information Center to determine if any have been stolen and will contact the rightful owners if necessary. 

All others will be dismantled and the scrap metal will be forged into gardening tools and art pieces by high school students at RFK Charter School in Southwest Albuquerque. NMPGV will also give out free gun locks to gun owners. 

“Gun buybacks are an effective way to get unwanted guns out of homes,” said Miranda Viscoli, co-president NMPGV. “This project has a direct impact by removing unwanted guns from our community and provides an opportunity for youth to engage in creative expression and leadership.”