(May 310 San Bernardino County law enforcement agencies will hold a massive gun buyback tomorrow, Saturday June 1. The sheriff’s department, which provides contract police services to fourteen of the county’s 24 cities – Adelanto, Apple Valley, Big Bear, Chino Hills, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Needles, Rancho Cucamonga, Twentynine Palms, Victorville, Yucaipa, and Yucca Valley – and also serves the county’s unincorporated communities, will trade gift cards for guns between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Joining the sheriff’s department in the program, which is being funded by Proposition 30 funding, will be the Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Upland, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, San Bernardino Barstow, and Redlands police departments. Proposition 30, which passed by a thin margin, increased personal income taxes on high-income taxpayers for seven years and sales taxes for four years. It was represented by proponents as one that would shore up public school funding but had provisions to make the tax revenue available to fund other state programs, such as the gun buyback.
The buyback is the first comprehensively planned event of its type in San Bernardino County involving all 11 of its local law enforcement agencies simultaneously. It is being celebrated as an effort to get guns off the street.
Those turning in an inoperable weapon will receive a $50 Stater Bros. gift card. Those relinquishing operating hand guns, shotguns or rifles will receive $100 gift cards. Assault weapons will fetch $200. There is no limit on the number of weapons to be turned in.
Law enforcement officers said members of the public should unload the weapons and transport them to the purchase areas in the trunk or rear area of a vehicle. According to a sheriff’s department news release, officers will ask no questions of the individuals handing the weapons over.
The buy-back station in Barstow will be located at the Cora Harper Community Center, 841 Barstow Road in Barstow.
The buy-back station for Chino, Montclair, Ontario and Upland will be at the Stater Bros. parking lot at 919 N. Mountain Ave. in Upland.
The Colton, Fontana and Rialto police departments will stage their buy-backs at the Stater Bros. parking lot at 571 E. Foothill Blvd. in Rialto.
Redlands police will operate their collection site in the Stater Bros. parking lot at 11 E. Colton Ave. in Redlands.
In Victorville, the sheriff’s Department will collect guns at the Stater Bros. parking lot at 15235 Hook Blvd.
At the county seat, San Bernardino police will collect guns at the Stater Bros. parking lot at 444 E. Baseline in San Bernardino