WORCESTER, Mass. — Police departments across central Massachusetts handed out gift cards in exchange for guns on Saturday as part of UMass Memorial Health's annual "Goods for Guns" buyback program.
Participants received gift cards ranging in value from $25 to $75, depending on the type of guns they handed in.
It is the 20th year the event has been held. In those two decades, the program has collected more than 3,700 weapons, Worcester's medical director, Dr. Michael Hirsh, said. All gun collections are anonymous.
"Even one for me is a win," Hirsh said. "I think it's one less that was probably not being stored right, and was risky for someone to pick up and have something bad to happen from it."
Police departments also collected ammunition and firearm accessories, and handed out gun locks — free of charge — to gun owners.