Worcester, Massachusetts In an effort to securely get rid of unwanted firearms and lessen the number of gun-related fatalities, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. is urging locals to take part in the 23rd annual Guns to Gardens gun buyback program on Saturday, December 14.
Officials claim that since the program’s start in 2002, more than 4,000 weapons have been gathered, reducing the risk of theft, abuse, and mishaps. Police departments in Fitchburg, Northborough, Milford, Southbridge, and Worcester, as well as City Welding & Fabrication on Ararat Street in Worcester, accept voluntary firearm surrenders from citizens throughout Worcester County.
Gift vouchers worth $50 for rifles, $100 for pistols, and $150 for automatic or semi-automatic weapons will be given to participants in return for their firearms. Replica guns and ammo will be allowed, and free gun locks will also be given out. Residents can observe the on-site destruction of their firearms at City Welding & Fabrication, where the metal that is produced is then used to make gardening implements for the UMass community garden.
“The goal of this program is to remove unwanted and unsecured firearms from homes in order to prevent the potentially tragic loss of life,” stated District Attorney Early. This initiative helps our communities avoid disasters involving firearms and preserve lives.
The medical director of Worcester’s Division of Public Health, Dr. Michael Hirsh, underlined the dangers that unattended weapons pose to the public’s health. According to him, having an unlocked firearm in the house poses a public health risk and increases the likelihood of suicide, homicides, burglaries, deadly domestic abuse, and unintentional shootings.
Residents are asked to bring their firearms unloaded, safely wrapped, or bagged, with ammo packaged separately, when they turn them in. For participants, the DA’s office has loosened enforcement of firearm possession rules, guaranteeing a secure and private procedure.
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