Sheriff’s deputies are encouraging locals to trade unwanted guns for Walmart gift cards near the sheriff’s station in San Marcos on Saturday.
All weapons collected at the five-hour event will be destroyed. According to the San Diego County News Center, police will not be asking any questions about the guns, focusing instead on safely removing the unwanted firearms from the community.
“It takes an unwanted gun out of a home so it cannot be stolen later on in a burglary, or found by a grandchild and used accidentally to hurt themselves or others,” said Sheriff Bill Gore to the Union Tribune. “It’s not an anti-gun policy, it’s a safety policy.”
According to the San Diego County News Center, the Sheriff’s department requested that participants place the weapons in the trunks of their vehicles, preferably unloaded. Rifles or shotguns can each be traded for a $50 gift card, handguns can be traded for a $100 gift card and assault weapons for a $150 dollar gift card. Each car is limited to receiving a maximum of $200 worth of gift cards.
City News Service contributed to this article.
