gun violence

Police to Collect Unwanted Guns Across Conn. in an Effort to Reduce Gun Violence

The second annual #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback event coordinated by Newtown Action Alliance will be held this Saturday.

Several hospitals and police departments across Connecticut are participating in the second annual statewide Gun Buyback event on Saturday.

“If I never have to say to another parent or loved one 'your son or daughter, your sibling, your child is dead,' then I will have done something better for my community,” Saint Francis Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Shapiro said.

It’s all about saving lives. The #KeepKidsSafe initiative aims to get unwanted guns out of Connecticut homes, so they are not used by accident.

“Guns that are owned and unsecured and not properly locked up and protected are much more vulnerable to be used accidently or being used in suicide,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said. 

It’s a sentiment that hit hard for Kristin Song, who lost her son Ethan after he accidentally shot himself with a gun that had been left unsecured at a friend’s house in Guilford.

The mother says following the tragedy, she contemplated taking her own life.

“That day I got lucky, I did not have access to a gun, you see, when you have access to a gun, and you are in crisis, it is a deadly combination,” Kristin said. 

“The majority of gun deaths are in fact people taking their own lives,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.

Police and hospital officials are urging the public to come out on Saturday.

All locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., except the Hartford location which will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

  • Guilford: Guilford Police Department, 400 Church St.
  • Hartford: Capital Region Gun Buyback, Hartford Department of Public Works, 50 Jennings Rd.
  • Middletown: Middletown Police Department, 7735 Main St.
  • Newtown: Newtown Police Department, 191 South Main St.
  • Stamford: Stamford Police Department, 725 Bedford St.
  • Waterbury: Waterbury Police Department Training Center, 240 Bank St.

Participants will be offered gift cards in exchange for the firearms. The guns must be unloaded and placed in a clear plastic bag inside a paper bag or box.

Free gun safes will also be available for gun permit holders.

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