RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond residents will get a chance to exchange their firearms for cash this month, as the city prepares for a gun buyback program aimed at reducing gun violence.
“We have too many guns in the hands of too many individuals who should not have guns,” Mayor Levar Stoney said at a press conference announcing the event.
The buyback will take place on August 20 at Liberation Church, 5501 Midlothian Turnpike.
Starting at 10 a.m., Richmond residents can bring any firearms – working or not – to the parking lot outside the church and exchange them for gift cards. Participants are asked to place the unloaded guns in the trunk of their vehicle before attending the event.
Gift cards for Amazon, Walmart, Kroger and Footlocker will be distributed in the following amounts:
- $250 – Assault Weapons
- $200 – Handguns
- $150 – Rifles
- $25 – Inoperable Weapons
Only adults are permitted to participate in the event.
The gun buyback is sponsored by the Robby Poblete Foundation, a non-profit that promotes gun buybacks as part of the solution to gun violence. The California-based foundation was founded by Pati Poblete in honor of her son, who was killed by gun violence in 2014.
