OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Metro Detroiters will be able to hand over unwanted, functioning firearms in exchange for Target or Meijer gift cards at Oakland County’s gun buyback event in December.
The county is hosting a buyback event where residents can voluntarily turn in unwanted guns in exchange for $50 or $100 gift cards for Meijer or Target. The event, funded by the county’s Safer Communities Fund, is meant to “provide a safe, legal way for residents to dispose of unwanted firearms [which] can help reduce the number of weapons potentially accessible to children, youth and vulnerable individuals,” officials said.
Southfield police are teaming up with the county to host the event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield.
Here’s how it’ll work:
- Those interested in participating should unload and place any unwanted firearms in the trunk of their vehicle. The weapons must also be secured.
- Participants can drive up to the location, and must remain in their vehicle. Police officers will remove the firearms from the trunk.
- Participants can receive a $50 gift card in exchange for a long gun, a $100 gift card in exchange for a handgun, and/or a $200 gift card in exchange for an assault rifle. The gift cards will be for Target or Meijer stores. Each participating vehicle can only receive up to $300 in gift cards. However, there is no limit on the number of firearms that can be turned in.
- Ammunition can also be turned in.
After all of the weapons are collected, they will be checked by law enforcement to see if they are connected with any crimes, county officials told Local 4. Firearms that are associated with a crime will be considered evidence, and the rest of the weapons will be “sent to the Michigan State Police for proper disposal,” officials said.
Those participating in the event will not be able to remain anonymous. Participants will be asked to provide identifying information.
The event is scheduled to run until 1 p.m., but will end early if the county runs out of gift cards. The county said it was approved for $10,000 to go toward the gift cards and fees related to running the event.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the event can visit the church’s website here.
Officials say they collected over 350 weapons at four similar events in 2022.