San Francisco gun buyback gets 228 weapons off the streets

SAN FRANCISCO - More than 225 guns were returned Saturday during an annual gun buyback program in San Francisco.

The event was organized by the San Francisco Mayor's Office of

Violence Prevention Services, the San Francisco Police Department and the United Playaz, a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development organization.

United Playaz founder Rudy Corpuz said people turned in 228 guns, including 8 assault rifles during the four-hour event Saturday.

Gun owners who turned in their weapons were paid $100 for handguns and $200 for assault rifles.

The buyback program comes at a time when San Francisco has seen a rise in gun-related crimes over the first part of the year compared to the same time period year, city officials said.

Since it was started in 2014 the gun buyback program, which is anonymous, has collected nearly 2,000 guns.

The weapons will be turned into raw material to be used by artists involved with the Robby Poblete Foundation's Art of Peace program.

The foundation was started six years ago after the murder of Poblete in Vallejo at age 23.