The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has released new details about the anonymous gun buyback event scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15, in Redwood City.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1402 Maple St. and is being supported by San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos G. Bolanos, Redwood City Police Chief Dan Mulholland, Belmont Police Chief Daniel J. DeSmidt, and the group, Citizens for a San Mateo County Gun Buyback.
No questions will be asked, and up to $100 cash will be offered for a handgun, shotgun or rifle and up to $200 for an assault rifle.
A few days ago, the sheriff’s office released a FAQ to answer more questions about this buyback event. They follow:
Will you accept ammunition?
-We will not be accepting ammunition at the Gun Buyback event, but you can turn it in for destruction with your local law enforcement any other time.
Do you have to be a San Mateo County resident to turn in guns?
-Nope. Plus it’s truly anonymous so we would never know either way.??♂️
Are you really really taking ANY guns? “I have this gun from ______, I don’t even know if it works.”
-We will take any and all actual firearms. So long as it was a functioning gun at one point in time.
Should I keep the guns in my small safe and drive them to the event?
-Please transport all guns unloaded (there should be no ammunition in the car) and in the trunk of your car or SUV. If you have a truck with a covered truck bed, that is an ideal spot for them or the rear passenger area will be fine if you do not have a covered truck bed.
What if I get pulled over with these guns in my car?
-Please, as always obey all laws and we recommend you drive from your house (or wherever you pick up the guns) directly to the Gun Buyback event and try not to make any unnecessary stops.
What if I have a lot of guns to turn in?
-We will have a separate line for people who have 10 or more guns, but please be patient as it takes time to record every serial number.
Is it ACTUALLY anonymous or do you take down any other information?
-It really really is anonymous. All we write down is the serial number for the gun so that we can take it out of the firearms system.
*There is an anonymous survey that “The Citizens For A San Mateo County Gun Buyback” group hands out, but it is completely voluntary, there are no names collected on the form, and it is only used by those residents to create statistics to see if this event is worth continuing in the future.
Last time I had to wait in line for a long time and I couldn’t find a bathroom!
-We have added a lot more staff, we have a more efficient way of recording the serial numbers for the guns, we have added an additional drive-thru line to make the wait time shorter, and there WILL be bathrooms for anyone to use.
What happens to the guns after they are collected?
-All guns, we repeat, ALL GUNS will be melted down at an independent offsite facility. No matter how cool, how rare, or how much the gun might be worth, ALL GUNS will be destroyed.
Even partners include the Redwood City Police Department, Belmont Police Department, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and 102.9 KBLX.
