Aug 22, 2008 6:51 am US/Central
Joliet Gun Buyback Event Set For Saturday
JOLIET, Ill. (STNG) ―
Those who "have gun" will have travel options if they want to get rid of it Saturday.
CrimeStoppers of Will County will have gun buyback locations in Manhattan, Plainfield, Romeoville, Shorewood and Joliet this year.
Anyone who turns in a gun between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. will get $50 with no questions asked. The event is sponsored by CrimeStoppers, the Joliet Exchange Club and the Will County Police Chiefs Association.
The president of the Chiefs Association, Fred Hayes of Joliet, said last year's buyback generated interest from police across the county.
"We thought it was a good idea to have this program throughout the county so [Romeoville Chief] Andy Barto and I went to a CrimeStoppers board meeting to propose this and found them very supportive."
Last summer's buyback, the first in 12 years, had more than 100 guns collected at two Joliet fire stations. The guns were checked to confirm they weren't reported stolen from a registered owner and then destroyed.
Current estimates say there are as many as 250 million guns in the United States. Of all households with children, 43 percent have guns.
"Too many households have unnecessary weapons," said Romeoville Mayor John Noak. "It is important to get a handle on this problem to prevent future accidents and crime."
Gun buyback locations in Joliet are fire station No. 6, 2049 Oneida St., fire station No. 4, 868 Draper Ave. and All Nations Church of God in Christ, 503 S Water St.
Guns can also be turned in at fire station No. 1, 100 Park Road in Manhattan, fire station No. 4, 15930 Frederick St. in Plainfield, fire station No. 1, 18 Montrose Drive in Romeoville and the police station, 903 W. Jefferson St. in Shorewood.
"You'll hear all kinds of criticism that [buybacks] are ineffective in reducing violent crime, but there's no way to tell what positives can come from this," Hayes said. "There's got to be a case out there where a gun that was turned in could've easily ended up in the hands of a criminal.
Hayes mentioned the recent death of 3-year-old Julius Rogers, who was killed playing with a gun he found in his house.
"If someone has a weapon in their home and ... it isn't secured, hopefully they'll recognize this as a chance to get rid of it and prevent a tragic accident or have it taken during a burglary," he said.
-- Herald News
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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