San Francisco's semi-annual gun buyback is this weekend

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ByVic Lee KGO logo
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
SF's semi-annual gun buyback is this weekend
Mayor London Breed is encouraging people to get rid of their guns, and is promising anonymity. "Come out and bring your guns. No questions asked."

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The walls of the United Playaz conference room in San Francisco are covered with photographs of young men who died, reminders that they were all shot to death.

The youngest - A 12-year-old killed by a stray bullet.

"One gun that is not taken off the streets will kill somebody and could destroy everybody. So let's save as many lives as we can, " says Rudy Corpuz, founder of United Playaz.

Since 2014, Corpuz, a victim of gun violence himself, has been saving lives. This is his ninth gun buyback.

Since then, his group has removed more than 16,000 firearms off the streets. Corpuz displayed some of them at the news conference today.

"Had one of those guns that's on the floor not been taken in gun buyback, it might have very well been an instrument that's taken someone's life this year," said San Francisco Police Deputy Chief Greg McEachern.

Mayor London Breed promised anonymity.

"Come out and bring your guns. No questions asked."

You'll get a hundred bucks for a handgun, $200 for an assault weapon.

Mattie Scott was here. She's an activist against gun violence. Her son was shot to death 23 years ago.

Scott had to tell her grandson on his birthday that his father died.

"The scream that I heard on the phone, I don't want anyone else to hear that kind of scream I heard n that phone."

Sheila Burton's son was killed fourteen years ago. Time has not eased the pain.

"As a mother having to deal with Christmas time, he's not there... his birthday he's not there," she said.

The Santa Clara County Gun Buy Back will also be on Saturday at the Gilroy Corporation Yard.