City of San Antonio to Host Inaugural Weapons Exchange Event
The City of San Antonio will host its first voluntary weapons exchange event Sunday November 19th, 2023 from noon – 5pm in Lot B of the Alamodome. The premise of the event is to provide individuals in the community who own a firearm that is no longer needed the opportunity to exchange it safely and remove it from circulation.
As an incentive, for every firearm that is turned in, community members will have the chance to receive a gift card from H-E-B ranging from $50 to $300, depending on the type of firearm exchange. Courage’s reason for having the event so close to the Thanksgiving holiday as a way to encourage community members to participate and receive a gift card to be used to buy food for their families or gifts for their loved ones.
Under the leadership of District 9 Councilman John Courage, this initiative is being spearheaded by Milee Ray, Director of Policy. Ray, a product and longtime supporter of the San Antonio east side, previously worked with former District 2 Councilman Alan Warwick II.
The initiative is being financially supported by a tax-deductible fund called the S.W.E.E.T (Safe Weapons Exchange & Education Transfer) Fund, through which the gift cards are funded, public gun safety education is provided, and additionally, the exchanged firearms will be destroyed and used to create a public art exhibit. Donations are being accepted as well.
In a press conference given on Wednesday, Courage is hoping this exchange will provide a safe opportunity for community members to dispose of unwanted firearms. “We’ve seen and heard of a lot of tragedies in this city over the years due to gun violence…” he says, “if we, through getting these weapons out of circulation, can save one life, then it’s worth 10 times the investment that all of us are putting into this.”
Courage has also partnered with the San Antonio Police Department, Metro Health, Putting an End to Abuse through Community Efforts (PEACE) Initiative, COPS Metro, and various faith groups.
Community wide weapon exchanges have become an emerging strategy. In April 2023, the state of New York hosted various weapons exchange events in New York City and Syracuse. Writers Aaron Katersky and Bill Hutchinson, in their article for ABC News, writes, “Describing it as a “landmark event,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office hosted and coordinated Saturday’s program, said more than 3,000 guns were surrendered at nine buyback locations throughout the state, including two in New York City… in Syracuse, New York, where police crime statistics show a 133% jump in homicides in the first four months of this year compared to the same time frame last year, 751 firearms were turned over by community residents.”
The City of Houston, Texas hosted it’s 4th weapons exchange program back in June at NRG Park, in which 1,446 guns were collected. According to data from the ABC13Eyewitness News Neighborhood Safety Tracker, after the first two gun buyback events, violent crime went down in local Houston areas – Third Ward and Alief.
The City of San Antonio’s inaugural weapons exchange event will take place Sunday November 19th, 2023 from 12pm – 5pm in Lot B of the Alamodome. Be sure to check out: https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/Mayor-Council/City-Council/D9/News-Events/Events.
