For Immediate Release: 6/22/2016 1:04 pm
Worcester, MA (June 22, 2016) - The City of Worcester will hold a Gun Buyback event in collaboration with UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, Jr. and Belmont AME Zion Church.
Gift cards for groceries will be given for each gun dropped off, in the amounts of: $25 for a long gun; $50 for a pistol or revolver; and $75 for an automatic or semi-automatic weapon.
In addition to the buyback, people are invited to pick up gun locks free of charge. Gun locks will be distributed to everyone, regardless of whether they turn in a gun. The gun lock giveaway will be held in recognition of National ASK Day (June 21), a day of awareness promoted by the Asking Saves Kids campaign, which promotes the idea of asking about unlocked guns in homes. The gun locks will be provided for by a grant from the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, whose programs are aimed at preventing injury through research, advocacy, and education.
This event will also include an opportunity for people to bring expired/unused prescription medication so that they may be disposed of properly. Residents can also bring unwanted prescription drugs 24/7 to the drop-off box in the Worcester Police Department headquarters, at 9-11 Lincoln Street.
The event is open to everyone, regardless of where they live, and is sponsored by the Office of the Worcester County District Attorney, Injury Free Coalition for Kids, UMass Memorial Medical Center, the City of Worcester Police Department and the City of Worcester Division of Public Health.
