Donors helping to subsidize gift cards for residents who surrender firearms Saturday
Pictured left to right: Chief Jack Laufer, City of Coatesville Police Department, Harry Lewis, Brandywine Health Foundation board chairman, Val DiGiorgio, Chair of the Chester County Republican Party, Chaya Scott, director of the Coatesville Youth Initiative, Rodger Ollis, Jr., Coatesville Community Police Officer, and Thomas P. Hogan, Chester County District Attorney.
Safety advocates hope residents in the Coatesville area are lining up their guns – so they can surrender them for payment on Saturday.
According to national statistics, the United States leads the world with the highest number of guns held by civilians – 270 million – many of which end up in the wrong hands. Experts say most guns used in crimes are stolen.
The Brandywine Health Foundation’s Coatesville Youth Initiative, Child Guidance Resource Centers, New Life In Christ Fellowship, Valley Creek Crisis Centers and the Coatesville Police Department want to reduce those numbers and have joined forces to help remove firearms from Coatesville-area streets with a Gun Buy Back.
The effort has received support from multiple sources, including area businesses and organizations. On Tueday, Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Chester County Republican Party, presented a check for $1,000 to help sponsor the gun buy back. District Attorney Tom Hogan said every gun taken off the county’s streets makes it a safer place.
“If this donation helps to get one gun off the street that would have been used to kill a child, the donation will be priceless,” Hogan said. “It will be priceless for the child, who may go on to do great things. It will be priceless for a mother, who will not have to cry over her child’s early grave.”
The Gun Buy Back will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Coatesville Memorial Community Center, 99 N. Ninth Ave., presenting a no-hassle and no-questions-asked opportunity to turn in firearms, organizers said. Coatesville Police Officers will be on hand to ensure the guns are handled properly. Police Chief Jack Laufer said the guns would not be reused; they will be melted and likely turned into manhole covers.
Gift cards, up to $100, will be distributed to citizens who turn in weapons. Individuals can surrender an unlimited number of guns; however, they can only receive payment for two firearms. Guns must be turned in un-loaded, put in a clear plastic bag, and then into another container, such as a shoebox. If depositing ammunition in addition to a gun, the ammunition must be delivered in a separate bag.
Everyone is being urged to play a role to end the violence in the community by donating money or gift cards to the Gun Buy Back program. Checks can be made payable to the Coatesville Youth Initiative and mailed to 50 South 1st Avenue, Coatesville, PA 19320 ATTN: Gun Buy Back Program. For more information on the buy-back program, contact Lula Defersha at 610.380.9080, ext. 111, or ldefersha@brandywinefoundation.org.
