Gun buyback program comes to Troy
More than 20 handguns collected during event Saturday at Victorious Life Church
TROY, N.Y. » People who stopped in the Victorious Life Church in downtown Troy were able to help make the community a little safer and earn over $100 worth of holiday shopping gift cards.
Over five years ago, Pastor Charlie Muller of Victory Christian Church in Albany, started a program where people from the community would be able to turn in any non-permitted handgun without any questions or personal information needed. During the holiday season Muller is able to give those who bring in their handguns a $150 gift card to Crossgates Mall, thanks to several donations from St. Peter’s Hospital, the Rensselaer and Albany County sheriff’s offices,
Albany County District Attorney David Soares, along with other private donations.
On Saturday, Muller brought his Gifts for Guns program to Troy for the first time from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. By 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Muller had already collected 24 handguns, with all the guns then being turned over to the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department at the end of the event Saturday.
“We started the Gifts for Guns program about five years ago, just because people might get desperate, they want to go shopping and stuff,” said Muller. “Around Christmas people would be a little more anxious to turn in guns, so I just think it’s a good thing that they can go buy gifts and stuff.”
Muller said he wanted to bring the Gifts for Guns program to Troy this year since he decided to help youth in Troy this summer with a meal program and because of the past violence in Troy. Muller also noted how St. Peter’s Hospital motivated his team to include Troy in his program and with that the hospital donated $10,000 towards to the Crossgates Mall gift cards.
“There’s a lot of gun violence and targeted areas in Troy where we can get a lot of illegal guns out of Troy, so we want to help and piggyback our success from Albany to Troy, said Muller.
Rensselaer County Sherif f Investigator Zachary Sharpe was on hand throughout the four-hours in Troy on Saturday and he was surprised and pleased with the turnout for the program.
“I’m amazed actually, we were kind of short notice and a little tough on advertising, but I think we’ve done very well,” said Sharpe. “I think each one of these [ guns] could be a child that could be shot or an innocent person that could be accidentally shot, I’m just glad to have them out of people’s hands and in ours.”
Nancy Armstrong and her husband, Mark, of Rotterdam came into the church Saturday afternoon with three handguns that they wanted to turn in. The guns have been sitting around their house since Mark’s father owned them as a police officer many years ago.
“I think it is a very good idea; it’s getting the guns off the streets and I just think this a great inspiration for people,” said Nancy Armstrong. “We have no use for these guns; my husband doesn’t own a permit, so I just wanted them out of the house.”
Muller’s Gifts for Guns program will continue in Troy at Victorious Life Church located at 1838 Fifth Ave. along with its Albany location at Victory Christian Church on 118 Quail St. every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until December 23.