The Annapolis Police Department’s recent Gun Give Back event was a resounding success. 53 weapons, including rifles, AR-15s, and even a grenade, were collected. Community members also turned in over 4,100 rounds of ammunition during the initiative, which aimed to reduce the number of unwanted firearms in the city.
Yesterday, Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson, Captain Lamar Howard, and Lieutenant Kevin Krauss held a press conference to announce the program results held last weekend. Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell-Charles, chair of the Public Safety Committee, also spoke at the event, all offered praise to the community for the results.
“We are thrilled with the community’s response to this program,” said Chief Jackson. “Each weapon turned in represents a potential tragedy averted. Our goal is to make Annapolis a safer place for everyone, and this event is a significant step toward achieving that.”
The Chief noted that many of the guns were legally owned and that eliminating any weapon in the City would be one step toward reducing crime. One less gun in a household is one less gun that could potentially be stolen or one less person injured by an accidental discharge.
The Gun Give Back event allowed citizens to turn in their unwanted weapons and ammunition with no questions asked. .
Alderwoman Pindell-Charles praised the efforts of the Annapolis Police Department and the community’s participation.
The Annapolis Police Department plans to continue similar initiatives in the future, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in public safety efforts. However, Chief Jackson noted that every day is a gun give back day in Annapolis and for anyone that wants to turn in a weapon,. they can bring it to the police station (unloaded) and request an officer’s assistance to turn it in. Additionally, if a resident is not comfortable traveling with, or handling a gun, APD will come to a residence to collect the gun.
Commenting on the large number of guns voluntarily turned in (this was not a buy-back event), the Chief was amazed at the success, expecting to collect a dozen or so weapons. “In Baltimore, a City ten times our size, this would be considered a big success.”
