The “Safer Homes, Safer Communities” initiative has helped to take dozens of unwanted guns out of circulation in the Middlesex County area.

By Josie Grove

Thirty-three firearms were turned in at the gun buyback in Somerville last Saturday. The buyback was the final event in the “Safer Homes, Safer Communities” initiative, sponsored by the police departments of Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown, the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, and other civic organizations.

The five gun buybacks in June 2016 have resulted in 150 unwanted firearms being turned over to law enforcement officials for destruction.

In exchange for their unwanted firearms, residents were given gift cards ranging from $50 to $200 in value, depending on the type of gun.

“This year’s gun buyback event was incredibly successful,” Somerville Police Chief David Fallon said in a press release. “Thanks to the collaboration with the Middlesex Sheriff’s office, residents were able to remove potentially dangerous and unwanted weapons from their homes. Events such as this inherently make our community safer.”

— Photos courtesy of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office