More Than 140 Guns Surrendered For Gift Cards
Palm Springs resident Edna Frampton turned in her brother’s pistol to the police department on Thursday during its “Gifts For Guns” program.
She said she wanted peace of mind. “Because if they [robbers] break in my house, took this [pistol] and used it, I would never get over that.
Officers took guns and rifles with no questions asked. Police Chief David Dominguez said he did not expect criminals to participate in the buyback program — only residents getting rid of old firearms.
By the end of the day, 141 firearms had been exchanged for gift cards. The number of firearms collected include two sawed off shotguns and an assault rifle which are popular crime guns.
“History has shown,” he said, “in the last two years, we had one gun we discovered stolen out of state many years ago.”
Chief Dominguez said city funds were not spent to put on this program. It was done through private donations. One resident donated $10,000. With all of the private money, the police bought $13,000 worth of gift cards.
Elizabeth Nee-Olson, who surrendered two of her husband’s hunting rifles, received $100 in gift cards. “Christmas is coming. Birthdays are coming. It’s already spoken for,” she said.
Larry Edwards wasn’t as lucky. A rifle he brought turned out to be a fake.
“I’m glad to know it’s not a real gun, and it’s okay to have it in the house,” he said.
The weapons are cross-referenced with federal databases to determine whether they are stolen. If the guns are not claimed within six months, they are destroyed.
