(WXYZ) — As the state tries to combat the rise in gun violence, Oakland County joins the list of areas implementing a gun buyback program.
The Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved funding for the program with a 14 to 4 vote Thursday night.
This means going forward, police departments will host events where people can exchange unwanted firearms for money.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive response from policing agencies and from community members. It’s been fantastic,” Oakland County Commissioner Charlie Cavell said.
Southfield, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Bloomfield Hills are some of the areas that voted yes on the $45,000 going towards the pilot program. But some community members were not that accepting and questioned its effectiveness to combat gun violence.
“The people that have respect for their guns and use them in an appropriate manner are not the people we have to be worried about. It’s the people who don't care about the process, don't care about the system," a public commenter said.
An analysis of gun buyback programs was presented to Detroit's city council in 2021. It showed that although the program is successful in getting guns off the street it had little impact on curbing gun violence.
Still, gun safety advocates like Skye Thietten from Be Smart from Kids Michigan applaud the board's vote.
“Just reinforcing the message that it’s important to secure your firearms, locked, unloaded, with ammunition stored separately,” Thietten said.
