Rockville held a gun buyback event Saturday morning, where dozens up to trade their guns for cash.
The purpose of the event is to help make sure guns do not end up in the wrong hands.
“The most important thing of today is going to be safety,” said Maj. Bill Nieberding with Rockville City Police.
The process is pretty simple: Pull up with your firearm in your trunk, an officer comes out and takes it, and in return, you get a gift card for $100.
“The whole experience for them, other than waiting in line, just takes a few minutes,” Nieberding said.
The event took place in Red Gate Park. Members of the city’s police department ran it. Officers in the red hoodies, who are firearms instructors, checked the weapons to make sure they were no longer loaded and that they were eligible for the buyback.
“Very easy way for our community to bring in any firearms that they’ve had for a long time and they just don’t want anymore,” Nieberding said.
This is the fourth year the City of Rockville has hosted this gun buyback program. It’s so popular year after year that people started lining up for this event more than an hour before it started.
One of the first people in line was Gary Walker.
“I’m 81 years old,” he said. “My wife doesn’t want them, my kids don’t want them and I’ve got some that I don’t use anymore.”
Officers said many of the people who drop off weapons inherited them, like Michael Mazerov.
“I just had an antique rifle that I inherited from my dad, and I just didn’t want to have it in the house anymore, and I wanted to get rid of it in a safe way, and being offered a little money for it was great,” Mazerov said.
All the guns collected go into bins and then are destroyed. The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office partners with the city for this event.
“It reduces the opportunity for someone to find a gun or steal a gun and use it in the community or in a school,” said Lynda Earle with the State’s Attorney’s Office.
The city has collected more than 300 guns each year of the event.
