Marin Voice: County comes together for upcoming gun buyback event
It is a terrible reality that guns continue to proliferate in Marin County and can be used in homicides, crimes and suicide.
The 2020 Marin County Civil Grand Jury estimated that there are 100,000 firearms in Marin homes and vehicles. That figure predates the record number of new gun purchases made nationwide in 2020, a 60% increase over 2019, based on background checks. Law enforcement professionals tell us that firearms can be stolen from homes and vehicles and utilized in criminal acts.
As a community, Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday gives us another reason to reflect on the damage of gun violence. One action we are taking locally is to provide the opportunity to remove unwanted guns from our homes through a gun buyback event. It will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot near the Marin County Sheriff’s Office at 1600 Los Gamos Road in San Rafael. Cash will be exchanged for up to three functional firearms. It is anonymous and no questions are asked. Boxed ammunition will also be accepted for disposal.
The last time Marin County held a buyback event was in 2016 and the funds ran out during the event. This year, we asked a broad group of agencies to help fund the event and received a positive response.
The local jurisdictions who are participating are Marin County, San Rafael, Novato, Fairfax, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Belvedere, Sausalito and Tiburon. These cities recognize the importance of supporting an event that is open to all Marin County residents regardless of which city in which they live.
As gun violence is a threat to public health, Marin Health and Human Services, Kaiser Permanente and the San Francisco Marin Medical Society are all supporting the event.
Because it impacts our schools and youth, College of Marin, Marin County Office of Education and Dominican University are all supporters.
Law enforcement professionals see firsthand the effects of gun violence and every police department in Marin, as well as the and the Sheriff’s Office, are participating.
We recognize that regulations of firearms is a controversial topic which is why we are focusing on the public health implications of owning a handgun. We believe that everyone can agree that, as a community, we should be doing what we can to prevent gun deaths.
A recent report by the American College of Physicians studied more than 17 million adults in California and their data clearly showed that overall rates of homicide “were more than twice as high among people who lived with handgun owners than among those who lived with nonowners.”
The study goes on to say that the impact on victims of domestic violence is significant as they are seven times more likely to be fatally shot and most of these victims are women.
Unfortunately, it’s not just adults who run the risk of being fatally shot when firearms are in the home. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published that the number one cause of death for children now is from firearms, surpassing car accidents. We believe that providing homeowners the opportunity to anonymously remove firearms from our homes could reduce these frightening statistics.
We continue to raise funds to support the buyback event. If you are interested in providing a tax-deductible donation, the City of San Rafael has agreed to manage the fund. The City EIN number is 94-6000424 and donations should also specify “gun buyback.” You can send a check to: City of San Rafael, 1400 Fifth Street, Attn: Finance #204, San Rafael 94901. Even if you are not able to donate, please tell a friend about Saturday’s event.
A gun buyback event is just one action that we will take to make our community safer. We are grateful to the other members of Marin County’s Gun Safety Collaborative as together we will continue to work in partnership to reduce gun violence in Marin County. We welcome your support and participation.
Kate Colin is mayor of San Rafael. Lori Frugoli is Marin’s district attorney.