Annual Gun Turn-In
To dispose of a gun right now, please go to our Year-Round Gun Turn-In page. The Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation hosts annual Gun Turn-In's to provide a place where gun owners can dispose of unwanted firearms with no questions asked. With the advertising for this event, we raise awareness of the risks and responsibilities of gun ownership, including the importance of safe storage. Our most recent gun turn-in was held on Saturday, May 11, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lynwood Friends Church in Portland. We collected 485 guns at the turn-in. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the turn-in such a success. May 11, 2013, Gun Turn-In
Sponsoring Partners:
- Portland Police Bureau
- Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation
- City of Portland:
- Mayor Charlie Hales
- Commissioner Steve Novick
- Office of Neighborhood Involvement
- Multnomah County: Commissioner Deborah Kafoury
- Rosewood Initiative
The Portland Police Bureau accepted the guns at the turn-in with no questions asked. Participants received a Safeway or Fred Meyer gift card for each working gun, with a limit of three gift cards per person. The gift cards were awarded as follows:
- Handguns: $100
- Rifles and shotguns: $75
- Assault weapons: $150
- Magazines—capacity 50 and above: $25
- Pellet and BB guns: $10
We thank our many individual, church, and foundation supporters who donated the funds to make this event possible. We purchase the gift cards from Safeway and Fred Meyer; they are not donated.
Number of guns turned in at Ceasefire's annual turn-ins:
| Year | Turn-Ins |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 600 |
| 1995 | 300 |
| 1996 | 689 |
| 1997 | 907 |
| 1998 | 1069 |
| 1999 | 692 |
| 2000 | 692 |
| 2001 | 504 |
| 2002 | 365 |
| 2003 | 356 |
| 2004 | 115 |
| 2005 | 95 |
| 2006 | 108 |
| 2007 | 245 |
| 2008 | 424 |
| 2010 | 142 |
| 2011 | 261 |
| 2012 | 223 |
| 2013 | 485 |
| TOTAL | 8,272 |
No annual turn-in was held in 2009 due to lack of money to buy merchandise certificates. If you would like to donate money so we can “buy back” more guns in the future, please send a check to the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation, 7327 SW Barnes Road #316, Portland, OR 97225. Or you can donate online using your credit card: please click here.
What is the difference between the Annual Gun Turn-In and the Year-Round Gun Turn-In?
The Annual Gun Turn-In is held at a specific site on a specific day, and each person who turns in a gun receives a merchandise certificate. Under the Year-Round Gun Turn-In, the person with the gun contacts a law enforcement officer to arrange to turn in the gun, and no certificates are provided in return.
Reasons to turn in a firearm
- Young, lively, curious children are at your home.
- Someone in your family or a friend or neighbor is suffering from depression.
- The firearm cannot be properly stored.
- The gun was left by an earlier occupant of the house.
- You can't guarantee that someone else won't get the gun.
- You want to do something to reduce the number of gun accidents, suicides, and homicides.
- You understand that a gun in the home is much more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than it is to protect you.
- You would rather have a gift certificate than the gun.