MOLINE, Ill — The Moline Police Department has released a retrospective on their June 25 gun buyback event, and they say that it was hugely successful.
According to MPD, officers came to the event to find more than 40 cars lined up at the Department to turn over unwanted firearms for cash.
Police say that they collected 305 guns during the event, including 114 handguns, 100 shotguns, 65 rifles, 13 magazine-fed rifles, 6 semi-automatic shotguns, 2 sawed-off shotguns, and 3 3D-printed handguns.
Crime Stoppers had secured $22,500 in private funds to pay for the guns, and the money ran out within the first 50 minutes of the buyback event. $100 was offered for handguns and shotguns, while rifles fetched $200.
Police say that people at the event told stories about how they were grateful for the chance to get rid of the extra guns, such as senior citizens or people who had inherited guns through their family and didn't want to keep them.
The gun buyback event represented a chance to help reduce gun crime by removing firearms from circulation by preventing them from being lost or stolen.
MPD says that Gun Unit detectives are working to inventory the guns and run serial numbers to check for wanted or stolen units. Stolen guns will be returned to their rightful owners, and the extras will be destroyed.
