What happens to guns turned in during MLK Day buyback program?

PITTSBURGH — A gun buyback program at the Holy Cross Episcopal Church held in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day ran out of money in less than an hour, paying out over $5,000.

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Program officials said they were offering $100 per gun turned in, with no questions asked.

Church leaders were partnering with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Homewood Ministries to put on the program. Last November, there was a double homicide right outside of the church.

RELATED: Pittsburgh church fighting gun violence by buying back guns

With all these guns no longer able to fall into the wrong hands, what happens to them next? We asked that question to the Pittsburgh Police Department and others. First: Where will the guns end up? And will they go through ballistic testing to see if the firearms were involved in a crime?

A spokesperson for the department told Channel 11′s Joe Arena that the guns seized from the buyback event will now be logged into a system and tracked to figure out if any of the guns were stolen, which they say is a long process to complete. As for whether they will be tested to determine if they were involved in a crime, the answer is no.

And as for what ultimately happens to the guns when that work is done, the department says all the weapons will be destroyed after the department obtains a court order.

“We got more assault weapons off the street in less than 40 minutes than we would have imagined,” said Rev. Torrey Johnson of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church.

They are planning to host another similar event soon. The church is asking for more donations but you cannot donate online. You’d have to go to the church directly.

Here’s the address:

• The Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal
• 7507 Kelly Street
• Pittsburgh, PA 15208

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