Guns for groceries in LA, a gut reaction to Sandy Hook - Los Angeles

Hundreds of Los Angeles residents lined up over the weekend to exchange their guns for groceries. Moved up from Mother's Day in reaction to the Sandy Hook shootings, the buyback gave people grocery cards in exchange for guns, no questions asked.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - From young adults with handguns, to elderly citizens who felt they had with no more need for a firearm, weapons poured in from across the city. One of the first guns exchanged was a camouflaged Bushmaster XM-15, the same kind of weapon used in the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.

The LAPD haggled with the public, offering cards that were redeemable at Ralph's chain of grocery stores in exchange for the weapons. At least one person made off with $1,000 worth of cards after exchanging 22 guns.

Generally, police offered up to $100 for handguns, shotguns, and rifles, and up to $200 for assault weapons.

Some of the weapons were illegally altered, but this did not deter owners from giving them up, nor police from accepting them. No questions were asked during the buyback.

Such programs can remove thousands of firearms from the street in a single day. The event in Los Angeles is an annual affair. It is unclear if it will be repeated on Mother's Day in May when it is traditionally held.

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