Sheriff’s Department collects 162 guns in Encinitas during trade-in event

The Sheriff’s Department on Sunday, May 1, collected 162 guns in Encinitas during a trade-in event designed to get unwanted firearms off the street.

The department was focused on getting guns out of homes, where they are sometimes unsecured and stolen, officials said.

During the daylong event at MiraCosta College, deputies traded $100 Target gift cards for handguns, rifles and shotguns and $200 Target gift cards for assault rifles. The department asked that the weapons be operable and unloaded.

The event was held in partnership with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the cities of Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar.

According to the department, all of the guns collected will be processed to check whether they are linked to any crimes. If deputies discover that any of the weapons were stolen, they will contact the owners, the department said.

All other guns will be destroyed, the department said.

The department thanked its partners as well as the public “for helping us keep their communities safe by getting unwanted firearms off our streets.”

Anyone may also turn in unwanted guns at any sheriff’s station. Anyone who wants to turn in an unwanted firearm was urged to call the department’s non-emergency line at (858) 565-5200.