Mayor Bill Finch and Police Chief Joe Gaudett issued the following letter to Bridgeport area businesses seeking help with the city’s gun buy-back program. The PD issues gift certificates in exchange for returning unloaded weapons.
As winter gives way to spring, it’s time for all of us to turn our attention on making Bridgeport a safer place to live and to work. Once again it’s time to get the guns off the streets of Bridgeport but we need your help. Last fall, with the assistance of many in the business community, we were able to remove nearly 100 weapons from our streets. We need to do it once more.
Our Police Department continues to be proactive in finding ways to combat violence, and this year they will expand their community policing efforts. Getting citizens and entire neighborhoods engaged is one of the crucial steps we began last year. In 2011 efforts to take back our neighborhoods and expand Neighborhood Block Watches will be key components to our overall efforts of total community involvement. We also hope to expand our very successful “Take Back Our Neighborhood” walks in even more Bridgeport neighborhoods. The goal is to get every single person involved in taking ownership to help make Bridgeport a safer place.
How can you help? We turn to the business community for the financial arm to our safe-street efforts. To buy back the guns we need gift cards from local businesses. How does the program work? Residents bring any unloaded weapon to the Police Department with no questions asked and exchange the firearms for gift certificates to purchase food or other essentials. In 2010 we paid $50 for most pistols and $100 to $150 for rifles, based upon their condition
It’s a great program with an excellent track record. However, without your participation it just won’t work. Local businesses and corporations interested in donating gift cards should contact Deborah Thomas-Sims in the Office of Community Services at (203) 576-8278 or Deborah.Thomas-Sims@bridgeportct.gov
We thank you for once again helping us help Bridgeport become the safe city we all want it to be.
This is a good program. It takes some guns off the streets, but not all. The gangs that sell crack and heroin are more than a little reluctant to give up automatic weapons.
Why doesn’t the mayor offer the rain barrels he has as a gift for turning in a gun or rifle? If that does not work maybe he can use the 5,000 recycling bins he bought.
The mayor ought to limber up his own wallet to help fund this program.
Finch is a idiot. Gaudett can’t tie his shoes without someone from city hall telling him to do it.