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Annual "Gifts for Guns" exchange event nets over 250 guns

Gun owners in Southeast San Diego will have a chance Monday to trade in their firearms for holiday gift cards -- no questions asked.

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8/CNS) - More than 250 guns were collected Monday during an annual firearms exchange in Southeast San Diego.

The fourth annual "Gifts for Guns" exchange program sponsored by the nonprofit United African American Ministerial Action Council took place at UAAMAC headquarters at 4981 Market St. in Lincoln Park.

The council was formed in 1994 to fight poverty, promote education and foster a sense of community, according to its website. The event has resulted in the collection of over 540 guns in previous years.

The gun exchange program was created to help curb violence and is supported by the San Diego District Attorney's Office. Since the creation of the program, hundreds of guns have been taken off the streets, organizers said.

"We want to curtail violence we want get violence down and keep it down and we don't want the guns to get in to the hands of people who want to do wrong with them," UAAMAC Director Robert Robinson said.

Participants who exchange their handguns or standard rifles received a $100 gift card, while $200 cards were given to those who turned in assault rifles with detachable magazines.

Organizers say the collected guns will be melted down and used for scrap metal.

 

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