14 guns turned in at buyback event in Hamilton

HAMILTON — Fourteen guns were removed from local streets this weekend during a gun buyback program.

Charles Tassell, founder of Street Rescue, which led the initiative, said gift cards were given to those who turned guns in. The guns get checked by a firearms expert to see if they are stolen, and if so they go back to the correct owner. Guns that have had serial numbers removed must be destroyed, per the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Tassell said.

Functional weapons are turned over to a Federal Firearms Listing dealer for resale, with funds being donated back into the program so that more weapons can be taken off the street, he said.

“This is about reducing gun violence, not anti-gun,” Tassell said.

The “Put down the Guns, Pick up the Gloves” program took place at St. Paul Miracle Center on Front Street. The event was in partnership with HYPE and The Community Action Committee.