The Miami-Dade Police Department is holding a "Computers for Guns" event on Saturday, July 27, where people can trade in a gun for a new laptop and gift card. Qualifying families will receive reduced internet costs.
"No name, no ID, no questions," the department posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "This will be an impactful community-oriented day filled with activities, giveaways, free food, and refreshments. We hope to see you on Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oak Grove Park."
Gun buyback and trade-in programs are common in cities in Florida and around the country as a means to reduce community firearm stocks in hopes of reducing gun deaths.COMPUTERS FOR GUNS 💻: Join us, @MayorDaniella, and our community partners for our Computers For Guns event. During this event, you will be able to exchange a firearm for a new laptop and a gift card. No name, no ID, no questions. This will be an impactful community-oriented day… pic.twitter.com/oyJtXAp4tV
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) July 17, 2024
Last year, the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Central Florida hosted a gun trade-in event in Pine Hills, where an elementary school student, a 38-year-old woman, and a local news reporter had been murdered in a 2023 shooting spree. The sheriff's office offered $50 gift cards for residents who opted to hand over their firearms.
In the summer of 2022, Miami carried out a buyback program in which the city arranged for firearms turned in by residents to be shipped to Ukraine to aid in the war effort.
Baltimore once hosted a "Stop Shooting, Start Coding" event that allowed people to exchange a gun for a refurbished Dell laptop and IT training courses. More than 50 guns were traded in.
Gun safety groups estimate that there are more than 350 million guns in civilian circulation in the U.S. Nearly a third of respondents in a Pew Research survey said they own a firearm, with the majority citing personal protection as their primary reason for gun ownership.
