Gainesville Police to hold gun buy

The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) will be holding a gun buy on Saturday, Aug. 26, where the department will purchase up to two firearms per vehicle.  

The gun buy will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Williams Temple Church of God in Christ Family Ministries (628 NW 7th Ave.).  

GPD is offering up to $300 gift cards in exchange for weapons. Purchasing amounts are at the discretion of GPD’s firearm assessor.  

The buyback program comes after the city of Gainesville convened a two-day gun violence prevention summit earlier this month.

Local crime is on the increase, according to recent GPD statistics, leading officials to look at a variety of potential solutions, including rolling back pandemic-era changes the city made to its open container ordinance.