Durham County to hold 2nd gun buyback event Saturday. Here’s what to know.
For the second time this year, Durham County will pay people to turn in their unwanted guns.
The goal is to continue efforts to reduce gun violence in the county.
From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, anyone can turn in their unloaded weapons at either Mount Vernon Baptist Church at 1007 S. Roxboro St. or Durham County Memorial Stadium on Wisteria Avenue (visitor side lot).
The Sheriff’s Office will offer Visa gift cards of $100 for long guns, $150 for handguns and $200 for assault rifles. It has about $10,000 for the event, with half coming from a local business’s private donation, said David Bowser, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
All weapons must be lying in plain view in people’s cars upon arrival, and deputies will give instructions on how they will retrieve and secure the firearms.
Participants do not need to identify themselves, Bowser said.
The firearms can be used or unused. Any weapons reported stolen will be returned to their owners. Others will be destroyed once they have been checked and a judge authorizes their destruction.
Impacts on violent gun crime reduction
In April, during the first “Bull City Gun BuyBack” program, the Sheriff’s Office retrieved nearly 100 firearms and ran out of gift cards.
Durham County is one of the few areas in the state to hold gun buyback programs.
Winston-Salem held a drive-thru buyback event in January and in Greensboro, the Police Department let people turn in unwanted firearms and ammunition at any time without a limit.
A 2019 Review of Gun Buybacks found when pursued with other methods of violent crime reduction, gun buybacks are “successful in reducing the number of firearms that could lead to injury and death.”
The researchers also noted that non-Hispanic Black men are the most common victims of fatal firearm injury, while gun buyback participants tend to be older white men.
In North Carolina, an estimated 45.8% of adults have guns in their homes, according to a 2020 RAND Corp. report. More than 220,000 residents have federal gun licenses in the state, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Forearms and Explosives.
Gun sales spiked in North Carolina after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer of protests after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Triangle area sheriff’s offices saw pistol purchase permit applications double, The N&O previously reported.
Last year, gun thefts were up in Durham and the number of shooting incidents reached 430. More than 120 people were shot, 22 of them fatally.
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