(Information provided by Mary Tompkins, Crime Prevention Coordinator)
PORTLAND, Ore. – The City of Portland is partnering with the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation to host a Gun Turn-In event on December 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Memorial Coliseum in the North Benton Parking Lot. All guns, operable or inoperable, will be accepted with no questions asked.
The event will provide an opportunity for those in possession of unwanted guns to dispose of those firearms. In a letter of support, District Attorney Michael D. Schrunk confirms that anyone “who voluntarily and peaceably delivers and abandons a firearm to a sworn law enforcement officer” will not be prosecuted. “Gun turn-ins are happening in communities across the country, and are a safe, anonymous way for people to dispose of unwanted guns,” said Portland Mayor Sam Adams.
Participants will receive a $50 Fred Meyer gift certificate per working gun (limit of three working guns to receive three gift certificates) and a $5 Burgerville gift certificate for each non-working gun, BB or pellet gun. The turn-in will help raise awareness of the responsibilities and risks of gun ownership, including the importance of safe storage.
“Many casual gun owners – those who are not strongly attached to their firearms for ideological or other reasons – will relinquish them when offered something of equal or greater value,” said Shawn Alford, President of the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation. “This has extraordinary implications when you consider that the first and fifth leading causes of injury deaths in Oregon are suicide and homicide, and, in both instances, more than 50 percent of the deaths are caused by firearms.”
With the exception of 2009, Ceasefire Oregon has facilitated gun turn-ins every year since 1994, collecting a total of more than 7,000 guns.
“Gun turn-in programs allow for individuals to dispose of unwanted guns with no questions asked,” said Portland Police Chief Mike Reese. “Disposing of these guns reduces the likelihood they will end up in the wrong hands — such as criminals or youth — and used for a violent and illegal act.”
For more information, contact Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation at 503-220-1669.
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