Winston-Salem will give cash for guns during event this weekend

The Winston-Salem Police Department will hold a gun buyback event this Saturday. It's part of a multilayered approach to reduce an increase in gun violence in the city over the past year and increase safety awareness.

Winston-Salem City Council is allotting $50,000 in federal pandemic relief funding for the gun buyback program. The event comes after eight people were shot in the city over this past weekend.

Anyone can turn in firearms for cash. The amount varies. It's $200 for assault rifles, $150 for handguns and $100 for long guns like shotguns and rifles.  Organizers say the drive-thru process is simple and easy. Just bring any unloaded gun in your vehicle's trunk or cargo area to the event and an officer will remove it.

“We are not going to ask your name," says Kira Boyd, public information officer for the Winston-Salem Police Department. "We are not trying to look at your tag and figure out who you are. This is 100 percent anonymous and we are not going to ask any questions.”

Boyd says other guns including pellet, BB, and black powder ammunition — even toy replica guns will be accepted — but no cash will be given for these items.

The event will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Leaf Lot on Shorefair Drive.

The city's last gun buyback was held in 2014. More than 300 guns were collected and vouchers were issued after the program ran out of money.

So far this year there have been 29 gun-related homicides in Winston-Salem.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news