Gun buyback event to be held Saturday

Event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Jacksonville Baptist Church

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is holding a gun buyback event Saturday at North Jacksonville Baptist Church off North Main Street.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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JSO is making a big push to get illegal and unwanted guns off the streets by paying cash to people to turn them in.

During three different buyback days over the last year, JSO has received more than 2,035 guns.

The Sheriff's Office, with contributions from the Delores Barr Weaver Fund, paid the owners $50 for each gun.

Last week, Weaver and Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford announced a new initiative for Saturday's event.

The Delores Barr Weaver Fund will now match the $50, and for each gun, it will also donate $50 to the Jacksonville Police Athletic League.

The Police Athletic League helps children with summer camps and scholarships, as well as the annual Shop with a Cop event around the holidays.

The Sheriff's Office said the buyback program has been a successful way to allow people to get rid of guns safely. It gets anywhere from about 500 to over 800 guns at each buyback.

Most are handguns, but there are also a lot of long guns. And JSO accepts any unwanted ammunition residents may want to get rid of.

Rutherford said about $70,000 coming from drug busts will help fund the gun buybacks.

Guns can be surrendered with no questions asked. JSO said it has recovered 33 stolen firearms in the last year.