Sheriff's Department to hold 'Gifts for Guns' buyback program Monday

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies are to be on hand at a Compton Ralphs supermarket Monday to offer gift cards for weapons as part of the department's annual "Gifts for Guns" program.

The event is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ralphs at 280 E. Compton Blvd., with deputies offering $200 gift cards for an assault weapons, $100 gift cards for handguns, rifles or shotguns, and $50 cards for non-operational firearms.

The cards are redeemable at Target or Ralphs.

Gun buyback programs have garnered more attention in recent months after a string of mass shootings across the country. In December, the Los Angeles Police Department collected 2,037 weapons at its own exchange.

"Anybody can go into any patrol station and anonymously donate their gun," said Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. “But this gives them the opportunity to do that and receive some money."

Weapons that have not been stolen are to be melted down and molded into rebar, Nishida said. The process is common for guns collected from buyback programs and department confiscations, she said.

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-- Dalina Castellanos