MUKILTEO, Wash. — Cities around Washington are dishing out thousands of dollars to people willing to hand over their guns.
The reason gun buybacks are popular is simple; it’s your choice to turn in your firearm and you receive money in return.
The Mukilteo Police Department hosted its third ever gun buyback event earlier this month. At least a dozen cars lined up before the event began at 9 a.m.
One woman brought in seven guns. They are her husband’s who recently passed away.
"I'm just glad they'll be somewhere I know they'll be safe," she told officers.
Sam Day from Shoreline turned in a couple guns, including a defective shotgun.
"I didn't feel comfortable selling it to anybody, because it misfired one time and it's really dangerous. So I figured I'd get rid of it," Day said. "I probably would have given it to them even if it was for free. So, it's nice to get $50."
Officers squeezed 61 firearms into the back of a van. All the guns were dropped off in less than an hour.
Mukilteo PD passed out $5,750 in gift cards.
“I think we're going to make another trip to get a couple more gift cards,” one officer said during the event.
Once the serial numbers are checked, those guns are shipped off to Nucor in Seattle. The steel company melts and destroys the guns for law enforcement agencies around the state.
The last couple years the city of Mukilteo has budgeted $7,000 for gun buybacks and safety training. Many other local governments in western Washington have done the same.
"It's eliminating those guns on the street that are used for crimes,” Assistant Chief Colt Davis said. “Or people who haven't stored properly in their home and they're burglarized. Now it’s used out on the street."
Despite its popularity, several national studies show, “there is little empirical evidence of these programs' effectiveness" in decreasing gun violence.
However, for many that’s not the only way to measure the success.
"If they just get one dangerous gun off the street the whole thing's worth it," Day said.
Separate from buyback events, you can turn in an unwanted firearm at police departments.