Hartford Police Department held a gun buyback Saturday morning in an effort to get guns off the street and curb violence in the Capital City.
"The program is fully anonymous. You can come in, give no names, no idea, no questions asked, and you will get a hand receipt showing that you turned in a gun," Sgt. Chris Mastroianni said.
The gun buyback has been taking place in Hartford for about seven years.
"I think what it does it gives some people an Avenue to get rid of them a lot of people have guns in their house and they just don’t know how to get rid of them," Sgt. Mastroianni said.
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A total of 59 guns were collected during Saturday's event. Of those guns, 41 were handguns, eight were rifles, nine were shotguns, and one was an assault rifle.
Officials said $9,300 in gift cards were distributed.
There have been 18 homicides in the Capitol City so far this year. Around this time last year there were 12.
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Many in the Hartford community have said they are feeling the effects of a rise in gun violence in the city and are afraid to be outdoors. "My son can’t go outside and play in the front yard and it’s sad," Brian Delvanne said.
In the most recent homicide, 56-year-old Sylvia Cordova was killed while she was inside her Sisson Avenue apartment as she was cooking.
The buyback will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Johnson Stewart Community Center, at 127 Martin Street.
