The City of Houston and Harris County teamed up to host a gun buyback event as a part of the One Safe Houston violent crime reduction program.
The third of its kind to be sponsored in Houston, the Harris County Gun Buyback event allows residents to sell their guns at satellite sites in exchange for gift cards containing values of $50 for non-functioning firearms, $100 for shotguns and rifles, $150 for handguns, and $200 for semi-automatic weapons.
The gift cards had a temporary glitch, but the issue is now resolved. So far, an estimate of 800 guns were traded in at the event that took place in Northeast Harris County on Saturday (Feb. 18).
The second gun buyback event held in Oct. 2022 collected over 1,200 guns, including 368 revolvers, 279 semi-automatic handguns, 243 shotguns, 227 rifles, and 91 semi-automatic rifles. The massive collection was called one of the largest gun buybacks in U.S. history by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
The first gun buyback event in July 2022 had some issues with logistics, such as long lines, causing many people to retreat from turning in their guns. Harris County still managed to collect 800 guns and used the experience as a case study for future events.
“We’ve united to confront the crisis of gun violence,” Rodney Ellis, the Houston Commissioner, said at a press conference. “We will not back down. We’re taking every action conceivable that we can think of — that’s what today is about.”
The gun buyback effort arises during a time when the country is grappling with a series of mass shootings, the most recent occurring at Michigan State University.
There’s also the increasing epidemic of gun violence occurring during domestic spats that have ranged from the shooting death of beloved Migos rap artist Takeoff, who was shot after a night at a Houston bowling alley, and the ongoing problem with police officials shooting unarmed individuals, such as the case of Alonzo Bagley, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot by Shreveport Police Officer Alexander Tyler.
Ellis added, “Because of our state’s dangerous gun laws, our communities are drowning in guns and we’re paying a terrible price. Since 2009, more people have died in mass shootings in Texas than any other state…Gun deaths in Texas increased by 16%.”
There’s no guarantee that the events and enticement of loaded gift cards will convince those involved in illegal gun activities to participate — Mayor Turner acknowledges that this is an increasingly problematic issue as Harris County rules out acceptance of “ghost guns” at the buyback events.
In spite of this, people opposing laws that support open carry and the right to bear arms feel that the gun buyback events are hopeful signs of progress.
