Gun owners across the Charlotte region are now turning in their guns in exchange for gift cards for New Life City of Praise’s 8th annual Guns For Gift Cards Drive.
Pastor John Kee first started the drive after witnessing all the gun violence in his neighborhood and deciding that something needed to be done. He says this year is especially important due to our recent spike in homicides across the city.
In describing the gun drive on the church’s website, the Pastor Kee notes that;
“30 Americans die of gun violence each day in our country! I discovered that, unfortunately, a lot of these deaths were taking place in our neighborhood. I began a Guns for Gift Cards Program in 2009. To date we’ve taken more guns off the street than the local Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Due to of the volume of guns we receive, it’s a challenge and a risk. But when we look back, it’s a risk worth taking! We truly believe our efforts are making a huge difference in our community! Instead of complaining about the problem we chose to DO something!”
The gun drive is being organized this weekend in partnership with CMPD. Gun owners names are kept confidential and will receive gift cards ranging from $25 to $50 for handguns and up to $100 for rifles.
Organizers will be collecting guns until noon Saturday.