Guns were collected on Saturday as part of the Keep Kids Safe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback & Gun Safe Giveaway.
Owners had many reasons to want to turn them in.
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WATCH HERE“When they come in here they tell those stories, they are very thankful and appreciative and to us, that is a success,” said Sgt. Chris Mastroianni, of Hartford Police.
Hartford has been doing this for 16 years now.
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SIGN UP And for the past couple of years, other spots around the state have joined in to offer a gift card in exchange for the unwanted firearm.
“By getting guns out of the home, we get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them or people who may be in mental health crisis who if they have access to a gun in a moment of impulse could take their own life,” said Kevin Borrup of Connecticut Children’s.
This just happened to take place in the days following the mass shooting in Maine.
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During an event to get out the word about the buyback, organizers say the tragedy was top of mind.
“You never truly recover. You don’t move on. The void in your heart never gets filled. It is just a constant reminder of all that you’ve lost,” Kristin Song, from the Ethan Miller Song Foundation, said during Thursday’s press conference.
Song lost her son Ethan because of an unsecured gun.
Connecticut recently toughened its safe storage law, which among the changes now requires people to lock up all firearms.
Part of this event was also to give out gun safes.
“Firearm deaths have overtaken motor vehicle deaths as the number one cause of death for children. It’s important for gun owners to know the firearm in your home poses a great risk to children in your lives,” said Borrup.
We’re told in Hartford, 64 firearms were collected, including eight shotguns and two assault rifles.
The Ethan Miller Song Foundation reports 85 guns were turned in and more than 50 safes were handed out in Guilford.
