Lynchburg community effort aims to pull guns off the street

A partnership between Lynchburg police and area churches to reduce violence and take guns off the street formalized plans Thursday for a kickoff event on April 25.

The program is Lynchburg's first gun-surrender event since 1995.

As part of the program, those turning in guns are entered to win a retired police cruiser.

Members of the partnership announced that the event at the Lynchburg Parks and Recreation building will include an overview of the partnership and program followed by a cookout from 2 to 5 p.m. in Miller Park.

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Members of Churches United for Service will conduct the gun turn-in program in the parking lot behind the Parks and Recreation building for the first gun collection.

Under the basic terms of the surrender program, firearms should be unloaded as long as the person handling it knows how to safely do so. Guns should be carried openly facing the ground.

Representatives of Churches United for Service will collect identifying information to be used in the raffle that will not be shared with either the Lynchburg Police Department or the Lynchburg Police Foundation.

Those turning in a gun will be given a receipt and entered into the drawing. Capt. Brandon Zuidema said those guns will then be destroyed.

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Zuidema said amnesty from arrest or prosecution will be granted for anyone turning in a gun who is not allowed to possess a firearm or for firearms that may be illegal to possess, such as automatic weapons or sawed-off guns.

He stressed that this is a larger opportunity for members of the community to get together and for those who have had problems to change their lives and to improve their standing in the community.

More information about the program is available through Lynchburg Police Department at (434) 455-6052; Lynchburg Police Foundation, (434) 384-5072; and Churches United for Service, (434) 846-8060.
Dumond is a staff writer for The News & Advance in Lynchburg.