L.A. gun buyback nets 1,700 weapons, including grenade launcher

A gun buyback program that trades gift cards for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons in Los Angeles over weekend, including 40 assault-style weapons and a rifle with a grenade launcher.

The grenade launcher rifle, which did not have a grenade in it, was delivered to the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga station as officers across the city distributed gift cards for handguns, rifles and shotguns. The anonymous drop-off program netted AR-15s, Uzis and AK-47s. Stacks of weapons filled a parking lot at police headquarters this morning.

Officials on Saturday handed out 1,302 gift cards worth $130,200 for Ralphs grocery stores and Visa credit in exchange for weapons. Officers collected 841 handguns, 539 rifles, 276 shotguns, 40 assault-style weapons plus the rifle with the grenade launcher.

"We were surprised at the quality of some of the weapons," Deputy Chief Charlie Beck of the LAPD said. He added that all the weapons will be melted down.

The Valley’s Devonshire station, which covers areas such as Granada Hills, Northridge and Winnetka, collected the most firearms, about 171 guns. According to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, more guns were taken off the streets in Los Angeles than there were shooting victims in the city all of last year.

The mayor instituted the program in the wake of a similar program by Sheriff Lee Baca, which netted hundreds of weapons across the county. The sheriff’s Century station netted more than 700 weapons last year alone.The program also led to the delivery of a 20mm artillery shell at the Santa Clarita sheriff’s station.

The L.A. gun buyback program is part of a collaborative effort by the LAPD, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and community-based organizations. It is funded by a grant from Ralphs and the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Last year, more than 1,500 people were victims of gun violence and far too many were victims of gang violence," L.A. Police Chief William J. Bratton said. "The department clearly recognizes that it is in the best interest of our city for the LAPD to seek creative and effective ways to work and establish meaningful community relationships to lower crime and to reduce fear and public disorder.”

Individuals can still voluntarily turn in a firearm to any Los Angeles Police Department Community Police Station without receiving a reward card. Anyone choosing to drop off a firearm to a police station should transport it unloaded and secured in a locked container or stored in a vehicle trunk.

-- Richard Winton

More photos: Gun buyback in L.A.

Photos: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Sudaev]

I suppose ''off the streets'' means ''out of the hands of anyone who isn't a cop''.

Also, are any of the stolen guns going to be returned to their rightful owners?

[Ted N.]

Cool! Almost 2,000 weapons to be melted down. Only 250 million more to go!

[Craig S Savage]

So, umm where exactly are also those "assault type" weapons that were turned in? You know, the ones that are supposedy a dime a dozen and flooding our streets? I see a bunch of cheap pump shotguns, some old bolt action rifles, and a .22 AR-7. Grenade laucher? Are you sure it wasn't a look alike gas grenade launcher? Hard to tell since there is no picture of it. Seems like a good way to get rid of a crime gun with no questions asked and a gift certificate to boot! When will people learn its not the tool, its the person who uses it!

[ST]

Whose the guy that turned in the 20mm artillery shell? I think that's the most shocking thing I read in this article. Who goes around keeping a random 20mm artillery shell in their garage or closet?

[BobG]

The cops must be as clueless as the media. A bunch of shotguns are "assault-style weapons"? What a gaggle of idiots.

[Kevin]

If I got a dollar for every bolt-action hunting rifle used to commit a crime in LA, I'd be...broke. Maybe you could have someone who knows something about firearms pick a more convincing photo.

[Michael M.]

The grenade launcher is a WWII relic....if the owner found a ninety year old with the grenade to go with the it, there would be a terrible danger to the populace.

As for the '20mm artilery shell', what size launcher does that fit in???? I think someone's metric conversion table failed them in this case...good reporting.

Agree with Sudaev, are the authorities running the serial numbers against a known list of stolen weapons? "We were surprised at the quality of some of the weapons," Deputy Chief Charlie Beck of the LAPD said...maybe that is because they were well cared for by their legal owners before being stolen!

[Rik]

This should be a recurrent event that called "Criminal Appreciation Day." Everyone knows that criminals prefer their victims to be unable to protect themselves.

When seconds count, the police are just 6.7 minutes away.

[Matt Schober]

Why dosn't the city check the serial number's first for any stolen weapons? Counldn't the city sell the rest of the weapons? The city would make some good money.

[Jeff Mooney]

Our founding fathers would be turning over in their graves if they knew firearms were surrendered back to local governments for gift cards to buy food.Funny how not long ago if you didn't own a rifle you would starve and not be able to defend your family.

[Dan]

What a bunch of BS, stuff like this does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

[Steve Smith]

A 20 mm "artillery" shell is most likely round for a 20mm cannon Which I can guarantee NOBODY is wielding in the streets of LA, unless they are flying around in an A10 warthog. That "grenade launcher" which we don't see in the picure is most likely an M1 Garand rifle, and the menacing part (the grenade)is absent, making it simply a rifle with a projectile that is fired by a blank round. Scary stuff there.... Also not illegal. Well, maybe in Kalifornia it is because they like to ban things simply because of how they look or sound. Grenade launcher sounds so much more worth the $130,000 than "Inert projectile".