A new initiative by the Green Bay Police Department is trying to get guns off of the streets. The Goods for Guns event took place Saturday morning outside Sam's Club on the city's west side.
The concept behind the event is simple. Bring a gun you want to get rid of or don't feel you can keep safe any longer, no questions asked officers will take the gun and reward you with a gift card for bringing it in.
"I think we've all seen gun violence in our community, we've seen accidental shootings in our community and if this program has someone turn in a gun they don't feel they can keep safe and it stops one accidental shooting from happening or a kid playing with a gun, that's what this is all about," said Captain Todd LePine of the Green Bay Police Department.
Green Bay Police say in just a few hours they went through the $2,000 grant they had for this program and were already using Crime Prevention Fund money.
The Department says their expectations were vastly exceeded. They reported the following results:
Handguns: 49
Shotguns: 46 (included two sawed-off)
Rifles: 27
Pellet/BB Rifles: 4
100's of rounds of ammunition.
Illegal weapons like the saw-off shotguns added to the success of the program. The "No Questions Asked" policy was clearly crucial.
The Department says the success of the program will likely lead to an implementation of the event again next year.
