PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 14, 2011 — An increase in gun violence on Philadelphia’s streets has prompted state Sen. Anthony H. Williams and Uplift Solutions and Safety Net to hold a gun buy back event in an effort to keep firearms from ending up in the wrong hands.
The gun buy back will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17 from noon to 3 p.m. at Francis Myers Recreation Center, 5803 Kingsessing Ave. in Philadelphia.
Participants will receive $100 gift cards in exchange for turning in their guns, no questions asked. There is a limit of two guns and two gift cards per person. Starter pistols, flares and air guns will not be accepted.
Williams is a longtime ardent and active supporter of implementing actions to reduce gun violence and improve the quality of life for the community.
“The key ingredient to preserving the quality of life in a neighborhood is peace, but peace simply cannot be achieved when there are guns on the streets,” Williams said. “Violence brings fear. It takes the lives of the innocent. It impacts our children’s ability to grow and thrive. It brings our neighborhoods down. Unfortunately, violence is on the rise again in the city.”
There are 313 homicides so far in Philadelphia this year — 24 more compared to this time last year, according to statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department.
“We can talk about preventing violence all we want, but at the end of the day, we need to do something,” Williams said. “This gun buy back is a significant way to take action and to safely remove firearms. It’s a tactic that works.”
This is the third in an ongoing series of gun buy backs that the senator has hosted throughout the 8th Senatorial District in 2011 in conjunction with local organizations and law enforcement officials. The senator’s two previous gun buy back events, as part of his successful “Neighborhood to Neighborhood (N2N) 2011 Summer of Peace” campaign, brought in nearly 100 guns.
For more information, call Ali Robinson or Don Cave at 215-492-2980 or visit www.senatoranthonyhwilliams.com
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