Chula Vista Gun-Safety Event Will Offer Up to $200 for Firearms

Chula Vista-area residents will have a scheduled way to surrender unwanted firearms at a gun-safety event Aug. 15 at South Bay Superior Court, 500 Third Avenue. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Chula Vista Police Department and National City Police Department are participating. The event notice says participants may remain anonymous.

Organizers will offer $100 gift cards for surrendered handguns, rifles and shotguns. Assault weapons will qualify for $200 gift cards. Free gun locks will also be available while supplies last, giving residents a safety option even if they do not surrender a firearm.

Firearms brought to the event must be unloaded and in working order. Officers or deputies will provide instructions for turning them in, and the collected weapons will be destroyed. Residents should follow those instructions when transporting firearms to the site rather than handling or unloading them at the event location. The Aug. 15 event is the next scheduled step; the event notice does not state how many firearms organizers expect to collect.