For Immediate Release: 12/5/2014 1:52 pm
Worcester, MA (December 5, 2014) - If you just do the math it is easy to understand why Dr. Michael Hirsh is passionate about reducing the number of guns on our streets and in our homes. Studies show that America has more guns and more gun deaths per capita than any other nation. Logic dictates that the opposite is true as well: fewer guns less gun deaths.
Dr. Hirsh, the UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, the City of Worcester Division of Public Health and The City of Worcester Police Department holds their 13th annual Goods for Guns gun buyback program, a collaboration between the Injury-Free coalition for Kids of Worcester, UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, UMass Memorial Trauma Center and the City of Worcester Police Department with the endorsement of the Office of the District Attorney. Through the program, the public can anonymously turn in any operable in exchange for gift cards to local retail and supermarket outlets.
The organizations will hold media availability on Thursday, December 11, to talk about the goals and importance of the outreach effort.
Goods for Guns expands significantly this year to include the towns of Grafton, Leicester, Millbury, Northborough, Shrewsbury and Westborough.
This year the buyback will be held on Saturday, December 13 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Worcester Police Department, 9-11 Lincoln Square, Worcester. The Shrewsbury, Westborough and Northborough police departments will be a part of this event.
Also on December 13 the Town of Leicester will hold its buyback event at 90 South Main Street, Leicester from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Millbury has its event later that day starting at 10:00 AM and running through 2:00 PM at 127 Elm Street, Millbury.
Grafton will kick-off the buyback events on Saturday, December 6, at 28 Providence Road, Grafton. The program will run from 9:00 AM to noon.
Since the Goods for Guns program began in 2002, more than 2,300 guns have been taken off the streets.
The project is part of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Worcester, a program based at UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center aimed at reducing preventable injuries in children and to support families in making their communities safe and healthy places to live.
