The Maine Gun Safety Coalition is offering anyone who wants to give back unwanted firearms or ammunition the opportunity to so from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at multiple police departments in southern Maine.
Geoff Bickford, executive director of the coalition, says that turning in unused guns can make households safer.
"Our notion is that every firearm that is not in a home is one that won't be found by a toddler, won't be used by an impulsive teenager or a family member who is going through a difficult time, or stolen and used in a crime later on," he says.
Those turning in firearms can receive a free trigger lock and safety pamphlet, and will be greeted at their car by an officer, who will take the gun to be cut up and smelted on site by members of the Maine Metal Workers Guild. The metal will then be repurposed into jewelry.
Profits from the sale of the jewelry will go to the coalition for purchase of more safe storage devices, Bickford says.
If you’d like to turn in a firearm, participating police departments can be found on the Maine Gun Safety Coalition's Facebook page. Firearms are accepted year round.