Somerville Gun Buyback Saturday

SOMERVILLE, MA - The first gun turned in to Watertown Police and the Middlesex Sheriff's Office at last Saturday's gun buy back was an AR-15 rifle, officials said today.

Fifty firearms total were turned in this weekend and 115 unwanted firearms have now been turned in at sites in Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont and Watertown as part of the “Safer Homes, Safer Communities” initiative, which also includes Somerville, where the final buyback will be held this Saturday.

With nearly 20,000 suicides by firearm and 16,000 injuries related to unintentional shootings each year in the United States, this initiative is focused on providing residents a way to safely and securely dispose of unwanted firearms from their homes, a release said.

“This was our first gun buyback initiative and we were very pleased with the success we had. The regional approach to address this issue will only make our community safer,” said Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn, who also thanked First Parish Church, the Watertown Police Foundation and Stop & Shop for their local support of the initiative.

“To have an AR-15 be the first gun turned in Saturday was surprising, but this is why we are participating in this regional gun buyback initiative,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. “We are giving residents an opportunity to safely and securely remove unwanted firearms from their homes. This is making our homes and our communities safer.”