Crime & Safety

Redding Police Will Accept Your Unwanted Guns

Some residents have turned over their legal weapons over the past few days.

In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Redding Police Chief Douglas Fuchs said some residents have been turning in legal firearms to the station.

“Some people have been turning in firearms to us which are in their house,” Fuchs said Wednesday. “We will accept any and all firearms that people turn in to us because they want to get rid of them.”

Fuchs said on a regional level there’s been talk of putting together a gun buy-back program or a gun turn-in program.

Find out what's happening in Weston-Redding-Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“People are turning in to us legal weapons,” Fuchs said. “We are not turning anyone away when they do that.”

Fuchs said weapons turned over to the department would likely be destroyed.

Find out what's happening in Weston-Redding-Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If, however, a firearm turned in had to be one the department currently uses—a .40 Caliber Glock, an AR15 rifle or a shotgun—then those weapons would be inspected and tested to see if the department could add them to their arsenal.

Fuchs said since the Newtown shooting, three people have come in with a “number of guns each.” He said the only other time people will turn over such weapons is when they inherit them or find them and don't want them.

Though some people have decided to turn their guns in, Fuchs said it’s certainly not a trend.

“Gun sales to our residents have certainly spiked,” he said. “The number of purchases has gone up dramatically” in the past few weeks.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.