There are more than 1,000 guns off the streets thanks to the Santa Clara County Anonymous Gun Buy Back Program, which was held at the county fairgrounds on March 2.
Officials paid out $114,000, with a highest single payout of $1,500 for 15 guns, and collected 1,116 firearms, including 479 handguns, 355 rifles, 235 shotguns and 47 assault rifles.
Santa Clara County had the highest number of firearms turned in since Dec. 2012 when 2,062 were collected in Los Angeles. This year, a joint Palo Alto-East Palo Alto-Menlo Park event in February collected 400 fireams, while San Mateo County had 680 firearms collected.
The Santa Clara County Anonymous Gun Buy Back Program is one part of Board President Ken Yeager’s initiative to reduce the number of guns in the community, as outlined in his 2013 State of the County Address. The program is a partnership among Yeager and the county’s top law enforcement officials, Sheriff Laurie Smith and District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
-1,116 total firearms collected
-479 handguns
-355 rifles
-235 shotguns
-47 assault weapons
Cash payouts
-$114,000 total payout at the event
-$1,500 highest single payout (for 15 guns)
-$200 average payout by vehicle
-$102 average payout per gun
-$50 lowest single payout
