San Jose City Council Considers Hosting Another Gun Buyback, Voters Weigh Stricter State Laws

The public will have another chance to trade guns for gift cards—no questions asked—at a buyback event scheduled for next month in San Jose.

Councilman Ash Kalra will co-sponsor the Dec. 3 event, which comes up for approval at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Handguns, rifles and shotguns will each net a $100 gift card. Assault weapons will go for $200. Police will check each gun to see whether it’s lost or stolen, according to the city. If stolen, they will return it to its rightful owner. Otherwise, they’ll get scrapped and recycled.

The goal, the District 2 councilman said, is to curb gun violence by getting at least some of the 300 million guns in circulation in the U.S. off the streets. Gun buybacks have been around for decades, but there’s been a national upsurge in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012.

Kalra recently co-sponsored a “gun violence prevention” measure with Councilman Raul Peralez, which would require gun owners in San Jose to lock up their weapons when they’re away from home. It would also impose a 48-hour deadline to report stolen guns and requires gun stores to keep electronic tabs of all ammo sales.

Under state law, people already have to keep firearms on lock if they have children in the house. Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that—beginning on Jan. 1—requires gun owners to keep handguns in a lockbox if they leave it in the car, too.

Meanwhile, polls indicate that California voters support new statewide gun restrictions laid out in Proposition 63. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom backed the initiative, which would outlaw large ammunition magazines, require background checks for bullet sales and impose fines on people who fail to report stolen guns.

Kalra’s gun buyback goes from 9am to 1pm on Dec. 3, and it will take place at the south San Jose police substation, 6087 Great Oaks Parkway. Heads up for anyone who plans to turn in their weapons: make sure they’re functional, keep them in the car trunk and leave the ammunition at home.

The event is organized with the San Jose Police Department, Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, county Supervisor Mike Wasserman and, from a county just south of here, Assemblyman Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley).

More from the San Jose City Council agenda for November 8, 2016:

  • About $285,000 federal cash will help San Jose pay for ammunition for police training, overtime for cops to mentor kids and a preventative, educational campaign to address human trafficking. Below is a look at how the U.S. Department of Justice grant will get divvied up.

WHAT: City Council meets
WHEN: 1:30pm Tuesday
WHERE: City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose
INFO: City Clerk, 408.535.1260

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

3 Comments

  1. > The public will have another chance to trade guns for gift cards—no questions asked—at a buyback event scheduled for next month in San Jose.

    This has GOT to be illegal, and if it isn’t illegal it is extremely stupid.

    What better way for a criminal to get rid of a hot gun used in a crime but to turn it over to government do-gooders “no questions asked”.

  2. What a great Idea steal a couple of guns turn then in get gift cards for new ones. It’s like food stamps for guns.
    I just love progressive idea’s.

  3. This whole thing is lame But I do think they run the guns for prior crimes ie through IBIS but what good when they dont collect info from the nut job turning in the gun Its a giant feel good thing for politicians and liberal media wanna be’s

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