Durham County to buy unwanted guns in crime reduction effort — no questions asked

Durham County officials will buy unwanted and unused guns — no questions asked — as part of local efforts to reduce gun violence in Durham.

The Bull City Gun Buy Back will take place at two locations Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. The Durham County Sheriff’s Office said it’s the first time a buyback event has been held in Durham.

Anyone can turn in operational and unloaded guns at Mount Vernon Baptist Church at 1007 S. Roxboro St. or Durham County Stadium at 750 Stadium Drive (home side), according to a Durham County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Those who do so will receive a Visa gift card, with amounts of $100 per shotgun, $150 per handgun and $200 per assault rifle.

“No questions will be asked,” the release said. “It is just that simple.”

The Sheriff’s Office added that those who turn in guns don’t need to identify themselves.

The gun buyback comes as part of a partnership between Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, Chief District Court Judge Pat Evans and Mount Vernon Baptist Church.

“Our hope is that by removing unwanted and unused weapons people have in their homes, they will be less likely to end up in the hands of criminals,” Birkhead said. “We regularly recover lost and stolen firearms that people do not know are missing. It is every gun owner’s responsibility to ensure that all weapons are stored and maintained properly.”

The Sheriff’s Office has up to $10,000 available to fund the event.

Those who wish to participate should make sure that all weapons are clearly visible in their car when they arrive, according to the release.

Deputies will retrieve and secure all weapons. While officials will run a check on all guns after they are turned in, no one will face charges at the event for providing a stolen gun.

All guns will be destroyed “once all of the appropriate checks have been conducted and we receive an order of destruction signed by a judge,” a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said.

Gun thefts were up last year in Durham, The News & Observer previously reported.

More than half of the weapons were stolen from cars, and a majority of those cars were unlocked at the time, Durham police said.

The rise in thefts came after the COVID-19 pandemic saw gun sales spike around the state, with Triangle sheriff’s offices seeing pistol purchase permit applications double, or triple in the early months of the pandemic.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 2:32 PM.