A gun buyback last occurred in Erie in 1994, with mixed results. A new one is scheduled

With gun violence persisting in Erie, a gun buyback program has been scheduled in the city for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office will put on "its first in a series of gun buyback events" on Saturday, Oct. 28, the office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Erie Central Fire Station, 208 W. 12th St., just west of Sassafras Street. The District Attorney's Office is promoting the event with the catchphrase, "Save a Life. Turn in a Gun."

The buyback is "entirely anonymous," the District Attorney's Office said. "Residents do not need to show proof of ID and will receive payment ranging from $100 to $200 in cash gift cards based upon the type of weapon" that is turned in.

The District Attorney's Office is financing the event using drug forfeiture funds, and the event "will have no cost to Erie County taxpayers," the office said.

The office said it will accept rifles and shotguns ($100 gift cards for each), handguns ($150) and semiautomatic weapons ($200). Ammunition can also be dropped off, but will not result in payment, the office said.

When did Erie last have a gun buyback?

The buyback will be the first in the city since 1994.

Critics of that event, called Return-A-Pistol, said it was largely unsuccessful because it led to the collection of mostly antique or inoperable weapons. Others said the event — which, as will be the case for the Oct. 28 event, let residents turn in guns with no questions asked — still helped get firearms out of residences or off the streets.

The city of Erie held the buyback in 1994 in response to a surge in gun violence.

In announcing the Oct. 28 event, District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said the gun buyback program is meant to reduce gun violence and help prevent the theft of guns in burglaries and help curb accidental discharges of guns, particularly firearms stored improperly in residences where children live.

"Our gun buyback event will provide a safe and anonymous way for the community to turn in firearms they no longer need or want," Hirz said in a statement. "The event will help keep our community safe by reducing the chance of theft, self-harm and accidental discharges. Improperly stored guns pose a serious risk in homes with children."

Do gun buyback programs work?

Public officials in Erie County in 2015 discussed holding a gun buyback, with the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority possibly funding it. The authority did not provide funding after a review of studies that said gun buyback programs are ineffective in reducing gun violence.

The debate over gun buybacks continues.

A report by the Pew Charitable Trusts in September 2022 found that buybacks remain popular across the United States, but said "most research shows these events are ineffective at reducing homicides and suicides."

"It's a waste of resources if the entities that are sponsoring believe that it's going to have a positive effect on reducing crime," said Keith Taylor, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which is part of the City University of New York system said in the Pew report. "But if the purpose is to provide a means for individuals to get rid of weapons from their households that they don't want to have anymore, it absolutely is a good option."

In an interview, Hirz said she was aware of the debate about the effectiveness of gun buybacks, but said "I don't think that is a reason not to try. I don't see a downside."

"It is not costing any money for taxpayers," she said. "We have to try something. If it doesn't work, we will go back to the drawing board and try something else."

In 2015, as ECGRA studied funding a gun buyback, Joyce Savocchio spoke about how such a program worked in 1994, when she was mayor of Erie.

The city raised about $35,000, mostly in private donations but with $5,000 in public money, to fund Return-A-Pistol '94, or RAP, which Erie City Council approved. The city gave out $50 vouchers for each working handgun and $25 vouchers for each working long gun.

"Gun buyback programs were initiatives going on around the country then," Savocchio said in 2015. "My attitude was that everything was worth a try."

The idea was noble, Savocchio said. But she said a major problem developed once the Erie program got started.

"What we really got were guns that might have been in the homes of the elderly or deceased people and people didn't know how to get rid of them, or guns that were broken and useless, that type of thing," Savocchio said. "If people had expected that guns from the street being used to commit crimes were going to find their ways into the collection bins, that didn't happen."

The program began in February 1994 and collected 645 weapons. The city halted it after three days when it ran out of money.

What to know about the gun buyback program

When: Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 4 p.m., no matter what the weather.

Where: The Erie Central Fire Station, 208 W. 12th St., just west of Sassafras Street

What: The Erie County District Attorney's Office will accept unloaded shotguns, handguns and semiautomatic weapons. The weapons will be accepted anonymously, with "no questions asked," the office said. Ammunition will be accepted, but will not result in payment. Surrendered weapons and ammunition will become the property of the detective bureau of the District Attorney's Office, which will arrange for their destruction, the office said.

How much: The District Attorney's Office said it will provide cash gift cards in exchange for the weapons: $100 for rifles and shotguns, $150 for handguns and $200 for semiautomatic weapons.

Other details: Residents are to transport unloaded firearms in the trunks of their vehicles and enter the fire station's parking lot from West 12th Street, according to the District Attorney's Office. The office said residents are to remain in their vehicles while the firearms are removed and they get their appropriate gift cards. Vehicles are to leave via the exit onto Sassafras Street.

More information: The District Attorney's Office said to call its office at 814-451-7023, send questions to Dacrimewatch@eriecountygov.pa or go to www.ErieDA. org. The office said not to contact the Erie Bureau of Fire.

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: DA to hold Erie's first gun buyback event since '94. How will it work?