Over 360 guns are collected in Winston-Salem buyback event

Officials say that a recent gun buyback event in Winston-Salem was an overwhelming success.

The Winston-Salem Police Department says over 360 guns were collected in two hours during the buyback program on Saturday.

The drive-thru event was part of a multi-tiered effort to combat a recent increase in gun violence.

According to a city news release, the promise of cash for guns resulted in the collection of 252 handguns, 108 long guns, and seven semiautomatic rifles. None of the collected guns had been reported stolen.

Winston-Salem City Council had allocated $50,000 in federal pandemic relief funding for the gun buyback program.

The event was hosted in partnership with Northeast Ward Councilmember Barbara Hanes Burke. Burke released a statement thanking the community for coming together and partnering with law enforcement to address the gun violence issue. Burke said that due to the overwhelming response, she has requested a follow-up event.

Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson noted that there have been over 30 homicides in the city this year.