This US city is buying back guns from its residents, and shipping them to Ukraine

As Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on the West for extra weapons, one US metropolis has answered the decision in an surprising manner.

Dozens of residents from the town of Miami, Florida lined up exterior Metropolis Corridor on Saturday, holding their weapons.

They will likely be donated to Ukraine by a gun buyback program known as Weapons 4 Ukraine, run by the native metropolis council.

In change, residents obtained a present card valued at as much as $150, relying on the sort of gun.

This system in whole collected 69 weapons in 4 hours, with firearms starting from AK-47 model assault rifles to completely automated AR-15s to home made 3D-printed plastic weapons.

The occasion was launched amid the nation’s rising issues over gun management after a spate of mass shootings in current weeks, together with one which killed 19 youngsters at a Texas main college in Might.

A bipartisan group of senators agreed on a firearm security invoice final week, which might be the primary potential breakthrough for gun legislation reform in a long time.

It is by no means been achieved earlier than

The thought was sparked when the Miami police chief needed to ship defensive gear to Ukraine.

Metropolis of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell requested if they may additionally ship weapons — the police chief stated it had by no means been achieved earlier than.

“Clearly we’re a municipality, we do not have worldwide gun commerce capability or jurisdiction,” Commissioner Russell stated.

They checked with the metropolis attorneys and the state division they usually discovered a strategy to do it.

Commissioner Russell launched the initiative as a decision on the metropolis fee and it was accepted overwhelmingly.

Then they discovered a neighborhood exporter with a licence to promote weapons to Ukraine and created the gun buyback program.

“Any resident who had a gun mendacity round the home that they did not need might convey it, no questions requested,” Commissioner Russell instructed the ABC.

“We might obtain the gun, verify it in, ensure that it was protected… after which they’d obtain a present card and be on their manner.”

Gun homeowners inform their tales

Ken Russell was happy to see this system welcomed.

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“We thought that is one thing we might do on the metropolis stage to make somewhat distinction, not solely on the epidemic of gun violence, but in addition possibly to assist Ukraine out somewhat bit,” he stated.

Commissioner Russell stated a number of individuals drove from distant to participate in this system, and regardless of their no-question coverage, many residents instructed tales associated to their firearms.

He stated one woman instructed him that her husband, a veteran who collected weapons, was now going by Alzheimer’s illness, which made her fear about having weapons in the home.

“There was simply no actual regular, protected place to take them, so this gave [her] a possibility.”

Commissioner Russell stated this system was not an “anti-gun” marketing campaign, however about accountable gun possession.

He stated every donated gun would undergo a number of checks to make sure the weapons had been protected to make use of and appropriate for warfare in Ukraine.

“And so out of the [69 guns] there, if we will ship a pair dozen over to Ukraine, we’re very assured that it is going to be nicely obtained.”