BALTIMORE — The Archdiocese of Baltimore is organizing its third gun buyback event, scheduled for August 9 at the Westside Shopping Center, continuing its partnership with Baltimore Police to reduce gun violence in the city.
Over the past two years, these events have resulted in more than 600 guns being removed from Baltimore streets, the organization said.
Archdiocese staffers were in Southwest Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon working out logistics for the upcoming event.
According to the Archdiocese, the Catholic community has raised over $100,000 in the last two years to fund these gun buyback initiatives, and to support families of homicide victims through the Archdiocese's Grief Ministry.
The Westside Shopping Center is located at 2413 Frederick Avenue.
Our Lady of Victory's Father Mike Murphy, well-involved in Southwest Baltimore gun violence reduction efforts, has personal connections to the area; his great grandmother's old house is located near the shopping center. He believes the location is ideal for the buyback.
"We know that gun buybacks don't solve violent crime but it does go a long way in saving at least one life, which is valuable. It does speak to trying to create a culture of peace," Murphy told WMAR-2 News.
The buyback event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on August 9.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
