Up To $200 For Trade-In Guns Saturday In Van Nuys

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — LAPD will host a gun buyback this Saturday in Van Nuys, offering up to $200 for gun owners who trade in their firearms. Unwanted guns can be brought to the Van Nuys Masonic Building Association at 14750 Sherman Way from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Gun owners who trade in their weapons can receive up to $100 for handguns, shotguns and rifles, and up to $200 for assault weapons. LAPD officers will set an exact price based on the gun's condition.

"There's more guns and more ammunition that's been purchased in 2020 than in a long time, but you can create a safer city by joining me at our annual anonymous gun buyback," Garcetti said during his COVID-19 briefing Monday afternoon.

Owners will not be asked about their firearms, and the program is anonymous. Attendees should bring their unloaded weapons in the trunk of their car on the day of the event.

Gun buybacks have come into question by several critics who say they do not have a sizeable impact on crime reduction.

A 2004 report by the National Academy of Sciences titled "Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review" found that "the theory underlying gun buyback programs is badly flawed, and the empirical evidence demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these programs."

The report found that guns that are typically surrendered in buyback programs are those that are least likely to be used in criminal activities, such as guns that are old or malfunctioning.

Others have argued that the program typically brings in a paltry amount of firearms compared to those still on the street. Michael Scott, director of the Center for Problem Oriented Policing, told USA Today most violent criminals tend to skip the buy backs unless they're trading in an old or damaged weapon.

"They make for good photo images," Scott said. "But gun buyback programs recover such a small percentage of guns that it's not likely to make much impact."

City News Service contributed to this report.