The Mission's first gun buyback event happened last night in the bank parking lot at 22nd and Capp Streets, and a whole lot of people showed up to get some cash for their unwanted weapons. The city bought a total of 157 guns from people who didn't want them, mostly for $100 apiece (for handguns), and there were four assault weapons in that total for which they paid $200 apiece. In all cases, it was a "no questions asked" exchange, but people could participate in an anonymous survey afterwards.

As Mission Local reports, so many people showed up that the event went well past its scheduled end time of 8 p.m. — in part because word spread in the neighborhood and more people started showing up on foot. The advertised protocol was that people were supposed to drive up by car with an unloaded weapon in their trunk, but walk-ups were not turned away.

Supervisor David Campos helped organize the event with the help of Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), a local organization that works with at-risk youth, and GunbyGun, a crowd-sourced gun buyback program, which paid for half of the guns.

A previous gun buyback event paid for by an anonymous donor, back in December 2012, netted 425 weapons.

You can contribute to GunbyGun here. They're trying to raise $20,000 in order to fund future gun buyback events in SF.

[Mission Local]
[The Republic]

Previously: Calif. Elementary School Offering Toy Gun 'Buyback' Program