On October 16, the Newtown Police Department participated in the inaugural statewide gun buyback program.

This large-scale initiative was put in place for individuals to be able to turn over unwanted guns to be properly disposed of. In Newtown, it was an anonymous event and members of the Newtown Action Alliance were giving gift cards to those who turned in guns.

More than 100 firearms were turned in to the Newtown police for destruction. They were mostly shotguns, rifles, and handguns, but there were four that fell into the state’s definition of assault weapons. All weapons will be logged and then disposed of by either the state or local police.

“It was a successful event,” said Newtown Police Sergeant Jeff Silver. “You could tell that many of these firearms were old and people just did not know how to get rid of them safely. People can always contact us to dispose of unwanted firearms, but the event was helpful because it expedited the process and allowed people to remain anonymous.”

The gun buyback and gun safe storage giveaway day is an important community safety initiative that helped gun owners and their family members to dispose of unwanted and/or unsecured guns to help reduce the risk of homicides, suicides, unintentional shootings, domestic violence, and keep guns from getting into the wrong hands — such as children, individuals who may be facing a mental health crisis, individuals with dementia, perpetrators of domestic violence, and criminals.