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Sheriff’s East L.A. Firearm Buy-Back at Belvedere Park: You Could Drive-Thru For the Gift Cards

10:08 AM PDT on October 8, 2018

[dropcap size=big]L[/dropcap]os Angeles Sheriff’s Department gun buy-back event in East L.A. on Saturday went like this: every five or 10 minutes, a person would drive up to a checkpoint, where deputies would remove the firearm from their vehicle while they look at the driver’s ID. Then the gun owner would drive up to another stop, get a gift card and some paperwork, and then drive away.

It was that simple. The sellers never even got out of their car. None stopped for an interview.

Deputies got 30 guns off the streets in the weekend “Gifts For Guns” program, the first in five years for the area. The event took place in a parking lot at Belvedere Park in East Los Angeles on Saturday, and was sponsored by the office of L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

“Those who turned in their guns stated that either they had no use for them, or feared the weapons could be stolen and used in violent crimes,” said Deputy Grace Medrano.

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