SAN DIEGO _ San Diego Police officers bought 164 unwanted guns from people in the South Bay area this weekend _ a no-questions-asked event that was so popular, officers ran out of the gift cards they provided in exchange for weapons.
"We ran out of money," said Capt. Alberto Leos of the department's Southern Division. "We gave out $25,000 in gift cards."
He said officers had to turn away people hoping to swap their guns.
Officers gave a $150 Wal-Mart gift card for every handgun or rifle turned in. Each assault weapon netted $250 in gift cards for people handing them over to police.
The count of how many handguns and long guns were turned in will be made on Monday, but Leos said three of the weapons were assault rifles.
The funding for the gift cards came from a partnership between the Casa Familiar community development agency, the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County district attorney's office.
