ROANOKE, Va. – Getting guns off the street is the mission of an event exchanging guns for grocery gift cards happening in June.
“Groceries Not Guns” is part of an effort to put an end to gun violence hosted by the Roanoke Branch NAACP and Roanoke City Police.
“The bullet has no name on it when it’s discharged,” NAACP Roanoke Branch President Brenda Hale said. “So it could hit anyone, and we just don’t want premature deaths anymore.”
Passion to make a change was in the voices of city leaders who took to the Melrose Community Center podium on Friday.
“Removing a gun out of the home or the hands of someone who could use that gun to harm another individual is considered a success,” Roanoke City Police Chief Sam Roman said.
Roanoke police said this year alone, 29 minors have been involved in an incident with a gun — 13 offenders and 16 victims.
Now, city leaders are turning to the community to tackle the problem.
“Everyone has to do their small part in ensuring that we are doing what we can to reduce the violence that we have seen occur in many many instances, not just across the state but across the country as well,” Roman said.
Almost 250 guns have been collected since Groceries Not Guns began two years ago, and organizers said this has a huge impact, but we can’t see the change overnight.
“After the storm, cleanup it takes a while,” Event Coordinator Catherine Koebel Stromberg said. “We’re working on that cleanup and the flood is still here but we are trying to take that down, and we’re just encouraging everyone in the community to participate with us in that.”
Gift card values depend on the style of the weapon, ranging from $150 to $250.
They will also pass out free gun locks.
The buyback event at the Melrose Community Center happens on June 24.
Organizers ask people to bring firearms to the event in a closed box or similar container. For more rules and details, visit here.