ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A newly announced initiative aimed at getting guns off the streets will trade a gun owner a toy for their weapon.
The program is called “Toys for Guns” and it will provide toys in exchange for anonymous gun surrender. The program is run by Project Exile and gives legal and illegal gun owners the opportunity to surrender a gun with no questions asked.
Camp Good Days and Special Times along with the Pirate Toy Fund will distribute toys once the firearms are turned in.
“What we’re finding is a lot of the crimes guns, the guns that are used by criminals, were guns that were legally purchased by law abiding citizens, and they wind up getting stolen when an apartment is broken into, a car is broken into,” said Gary Mervis of Project Exile. “The gun is easy to grab, it’s worth money out on the street so it could cause a family or an individual a lot of pain.”
The Toys for Guns program will be held on Wednesday Dec. 16 and again on Saturday the 19 at the Crime Victim’s Resource Center on South Plymouth Avenue.