Anonymous gun buyback event in Belmont nets nearly 250 firearms
Community members turned in almost 250 firearms at an anonymous gun buyback event hosted by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office in Belmont over the weekend.
At the Saturday event, the Sheriff's Office paid community members between $50 and $200 per firearm. In total, participants turned in 247 firearms during the four-hour event, including nine assault weapons and 12 3D-printed guns, sheriff's officials said.
The event also accepted unused ammunition, which will be safely disposed of. The Sheriff's Office is currently processing all collected firearms for destruction.
The event additionally featured free gun locks distributed by volunteers from community group Citizens for a San Mateo County Gun Buyback as well as information about safe firearm storage and gun safety protocol.
The Sheriff's Office said it has collected more than 3,000 firearms since launching its anonymous gun buyback program in 2018.