Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez have announced a gun buyback at Deussen Park on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also attended the news conference. The event is part of Harris County’s initiatives to prevent gun violence. This is the third gun buyback co-sponsored by Harris County Precinct One in seven months, resulting in about 2,000 firearms being taken off the street. Residents will be able to turn in firearms in exchange for gift cards worth $50, $100, $150, or $200 at the upcoming buyback, with no questions asked.

"We can’t bring a life back, but we can buy a gun back and make sure it never falls into the wrong hands and causes harm to someone. So, please do as much as you can to help make our community safer by spreading the word about this, our third gun buyback in Harris County," said Commissioner Rodney Ellis about the effort they are taking to prevent gun violence and make communities safer.

The first gun buyback resulted in taking 800 guns off the streets of Houston, while the second gun buyback broke a record with over 2000 being collected. The success of these gun buybacks has placed Houston in a position to have the lowest drop in most serious crime in 2022. Commissioner Ellis stated that with the third gun buyback, they hope to outnumber those in New York who have collected over 3800 guns. He believes Houston can do it since the first two programs were extremely successful.

From the July and October gun buybacks, officials learned they needed to improve their logistics with more lines and staffing. Those turning in guns will also note that there will be more entrances and exits at Deussen Park. Traffic around the park during the event should improve since lines of cars will not be on the street like previous events. It is a learning process, and each event helps the representative improve.

The process is simple. A person shows up and drops off their gun. No questions asked. The denomination of the gift card depends on the type of gun and its functionality. Law enforcement will then get rid of all guns in a safe and proper manner.

The federally funded program is a partnership with the city of Houston, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Commissioners’ Court. It is part of the city's "One Safe Houston" initiative.

Share information about this program with everyone. Make plans to attend, drop off your gun, get your gift card, and stay safe.