SANTA BARBARA, CA (KEYT/CNN) - Californians were offered gift certificates worth up to $200 for each of their unwanted guns, rifles and other weapons.
The Santa Barbara Police Department teamed up with the Coalition Against Gun Violence for an anonymous gun buyback event Saturday.
Sgt. Riley Harwood spoke about the event.
"If we have the opportunity to take an unwanted firearm out of a home so it can't fall into the wrong hands or be misused by someone who's not thinking clearly at the time, then it's a positive for the community as a whole," he said.
The first event, shortly after the Isla Vista Massacre, brought in more than 200 unwanted weapons.
Locals participating in the last event dropped off an estimated 150 shotguns, handguns and rifles along with a small number of assault weapons and ammunition.
"We don't take names of people," Harwood said. "We don't jot down license plates or take pictures."
The process is easy: Simply put the unloaded weapon in the trunk or back of your car, head to Earl Warren Show Grounds and line up.
Police will do the rest.
The serial numbers are checked. If a weapon is found to be stolen, every effort will be made to give it back to its rightful owner.
Gift certificates of $100 and $200 to Smart and Final will be given on the spot, depending on the type of the weapon.
Harwood said the weapons collected will eventually either be cut up or melted down.
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