‘Ghost guns’, assault weapons among those purchased at San Mateo County gun buyback
Nine assault weapons and four “ghost guns” were collected at an anonymous San Mateo County gun buyback program on Saturday.
Those 13 weapons were among 264 firearms purchased over the course of the four-hour event — about 65 guns an hour. This was the seventh such buyback hosted by the county.
The program, operated by five law enforcement agencies, offers the opportunity for people to sell their firearms for cash, no questions asked. The gun buyback program has now yielded over 2,600 guns.
The event was held at the North County Courthouse in South San Francisco. Payments range from $200 for assault weapons and unserialized, untraceable “ghost guns” to $50 for nonfunctioning guns.
The program is funded by a partnership between the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff’s office, and a community group. There will likely be one more buyback event this year.
San Mateo County’s gun buyback program is one of many in the Bay Area. In March, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to hold two regularly scheduled gun buybacks after one-off events proved highly successful. Livermore, Pittsburg, and Fremont have all also held similar events.