AK-47s, Stolen Guns Among Firearms Collected In Marin Buyback Event
SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) – Residents from four Bay Area counties turned in 670 firearms during a gun buyback event in Marin County on Tuesday, Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian said.
"It was very successful and people had a good attitude. Some clearly wanted to get rid of weapons that they had inherited," Berberian said.
Berberian himself turned in three of his firearms and some ammunition.
Six of the weapons that were turned in at the San Rafael Police Department had been reported stolen, and authorities don't know whether those weapons were surrendered by the thieves themselves.
"We didn't ask any questions. We'll try to locate the owners," Berberian said.
The $80,000 in cash that was available to buy back the firearms lasted nearly the whole day, Berberian said. People received $200 for each operable semiautomatic handgun or assault rifle and $100 for any other operable firearm. There was a three-gun limit for cash reimbursement.
The buyback stations at the Novato and San Rafael police departments were the busiest, and some of the cash from the less busy locations in Point Reyes, Mill Valley and Corte Madera was reallocated to the Novato and San Rafael.
Residents of Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties participated in the buyback event.
At least three semiautomatic firearms and two AK-47 rifles were returned in San Rafael, Berberian said.
A tally on where the returned guns came from will be available later, he said.
During a 2013 two-day gun buyback in Marin County, 856 weapons were surrendered. Vouchers were issued when the cash available that year ran out.
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