AKRON, Ohio — Summit County Council is partnering with the Summit County Sheriff's Office, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office and Arlington Church of God to host a gun buyback and safety initiative.
The event takes place Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Arlington Church of God, 539 South Arlington St., Akron.
Acme Fresh Market or Dave's Supermarket gift cards valued at $150 will be given out to people who turn in operable guns. Gift cards worth $25 will be handed out for inoperable guns (limit three guns per person).
There will be no questions asked while supplies last. Organizers have asked that guns be unloaded prior to arrival for turn-in. Free gun locks and safety materials will also be available that day.
In August, Summit County Council adopted legislation creating the voluntary gun buyback program which allowed County Executive Ilene Shapiro to procure up to $55,000 worth of gift cards, gun locks, and educational materials.
"The Sheriff's Office is proud to participate in this initiative to help mitigate the rise in gun violence locally," said Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree. "We cannot know the history of every gun that's turned in, but we can at least ensure that those guns can't ever be used in a crime or suicide, or be discovered by a child."
In 2021, Akron Police seized 1282 guns. Through October 2022, 832 guns have been seized by the department.
In 2021, there were 42 homicides in Akron with 20 of the cases unsolved. There have been 38 homicides in the city this year with 20 of those killings also being unsolved.
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