San Francisco Police Buyback Campaign Collects More Than 225 Guns

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- More than 225 guns were purchased Saturday during an annual police gun buyback program in San Francisco.

The event was organized by the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Violence Prevention Services, the San Francisco Police Department
and the United Playaz, a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development organization.

In one hour alone, officers at the city's Southern Station collected a total of 64 firearms including more than a dozen rifles.

United Playaz founder Rudy Corpuz said people turned in 228 guns, including 8 assault rifles during the four-hour event Saturday.

Gun owners who turned in their weapons were paid $100 for handguns and $200 for assault rifles.

The buyback program comes at a time when San Francisco has seen a rise in gun-related crimes over the first part of the year compared to the same time period year, city officials said.

Since it was started in 2014 the gun buyback program, which is anonymous, has collected nearly 2,000 guns.

The weapons will be turned into raw material to be used by artists involved with the Robby Poblete Foundation's Art of Peace program.