For the first time ever, the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) will host an anonymous and voluntary gun buyback event for Island residents from 9 a.m. to noon on March 29 at the city hall campus, 9611 SE 36th St.

Mercer Island follows in the footsteps of copious other Washington cities with this public safety initiative, which was prompted and approved by Mercer Island City Council, according to councilmember Craig Reynolds and MIPD Commander Mike Seifert.

Reynolds is a strong advocate of a city gun buyback program and spoke about the importance of the project at council’s March 4 meeting.

Reynolds said the program is personally significant to him, and in a previous Reporter article he noted: “I lost one of my best friends to a gunshot wound at the hands of another good friend when I was in high school. A lock might have saved him. A secure gun is a safe gun.”

According to a city press release, residents can safely turn in their unwanted firearms in exchange for gift cards (quantities are limited and subject to availability): $25 for non-working firearms and pellet guns, $100 for bolt-action rifles and shotguns, $200 for handguns and $250 for assault-style rifles. In order to be eligible for gift cards, participants must show proof of Mercer Island residency via an identification card, utility bill or other paperwork.

“To help ensure a safe transfer for participants and staff, firearms must be unloaded and transported in the trunk of the vehicle. Participants will be asked to remain in the vehicle unless told otherwise by staff,” the city said. “Certified firearms specialists will inspect firearms and make the final determination about acceptance and classification.”

Following the event, specialists will catalogue and destroy all firearms and won’t collect and catalogue any identifiable information.

A few years ago, some Mercer Island residents contacted the police department and asked about the disposal process of unwanted firearms and ammunition in their homes, according to a Reporter story. Former police chief Ed Holmes said they posted a social media message to inform the community that the department can safely handle destruction of those materials. He added that the department has always offered to collect residents’ unwanted firearms, and officers typically pick up two or three monthly for destruction.

Reynolds said he hopes that Mercer Island can achieve similar success of other cities’ buyback programs, notably the Kirkland Police Department’s Guns for Gift Cards program. Since launching its program five years ago, Kirkland police has collected more than 272 firearms for destruction and distributed more than $33,550 in gift cards, according to Sergeant Eric Karp.

In the state realm, Reynolds has testified with Islander Gwen Loosmore on gun-violence prevention bills in the state Legislature. Loosmore serves as the legislative advocate for Washington State PTA and leads the Moms Demand Action group for Mercer Island/Bellevue.

Reynolds told the Reporter: “More than 120 people a day die from gunshot wounds in the United States, and firearms are the second leading cause of death for Americans below the age of 20. Every gun we take off the streets and destroy is a gun that will not be used to kill someone. I also hope we can use this program to help remind people that the MIPD makes gun locks available free of charge to residents. So even if they do not want to turn in a weapon, I hope that they will act to secure it so that it will not be used inappropriately.”