LAPD's gun buyback off to busy start in Van Nuys

Drivers went through the lot and popped their trunks for Los Angeles police officers, who took the guns out and handed them $100 to $200 in Ralphs gift cards in exchange.

Police had already collected 185 guns in less than an hour this morning at a city-sponsored gun buyback in Van Nuys.

Before the 9 a.m. start, a line of cars already stretched through the parking lot of Van Nuys Masonic Center and out onto Sherman Way.


The tally as of 9:50 a.m. included 50 handguns, 80 rifles and 45 shotguns. The long guns were piled in several brown city trash bins sitting in the parking lot.

Many of the weapons turned in were family heirlooms.

But Doug Johnson, an undercover gang and narcotics officer at the event, said they also included two fully automatic TEC-9s, a common gun for gang members, along with an AK-47 and a Bushmaster rifle, the same brand used in the Newtown, Conn., school massacre on Dec. 14.

Danny Reyes of West L.A. said he turned in two handguns for his brother, who believed they might be illegal and was nervous about dealing with the police.

"He was leery, but I was explaining to him they want the guns off the streets," Reyes said after getting $200 in gift cards. "This is the perfect opportunity."

Lee Bramer of Santa Clarita said he turned in a .22-caliber handgun he'd gotten after his mother-in-law's estate sale. "Any time we can take guns off the street, it's better and safer," he said.

Referring to the Connecticut school shooting, he added, "I've got a 5-year-old grandson. I wouldn't want to see anything like that happen out here."

At the same time, another buyback was happening in South Los Angeles.

L.A.'s gun buyback is normally held around Mothers Day, but it was moved up this year after the Connecticut shooting.

Police said they did not record the names or license plate numbers of people dropping off guns. Having been promised anonymity, some people were reluctant to talk to reporters.

A Burbank woman, who would not give her name, said as she drove out of the Van Nuys event that she turned in a gun that had belonged to her parents.

Both the gift card and the opportunity to get rid of the gun drew her in.

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