On June 28, 2025, there will be a gun turn-in (buyback) in Montgomery, Alabama, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. From blackbeltnewsnetwork.com:
On June 28 CrimeStoppers will host a gun buyback event at Bryant Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery.
Anyone who is interested in surrendering a gun can bring in a rifle or shotgun for $50, a functioning handgun for $100 and an assault style/semi-auto rifle for $200.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Church is on Norman Bridge Road, #3645. The guns can be turned in anonymously. Guns are to be unloaded with ammunition turned in separately. The turn-in is an annual event in Montgomery. It was started in 2017. In 2018, 73 firearms were turned in. Some of the firearms were decent-quality guns. In 2018, gift cards worth $50 were being given out for working handguns. Here are some of the handguns turned in, for $50 in 2018:
In the above image, there are what appear to be a Smith & Wesson 1917 revolver in .45 ACP, a Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver, a Beretta tip-up semi-automatic in .22 Short or .25 ACP, and a Colt 1903 model semi-auto, probably in .32 ACP.
In the larger picture, there is a High Standard Military HD and a TEC-22. One of the long guns turned in appears to have been a Remington Model 30, with a scope mounted on it. There is a sporterized Lee Enfield and at least one air rifle.
In the Montgomery 2019 gun turn-in event, 100 firearms were turned in. It was reported by wsfa.com that “Any guns that cannot be used in officer training will be destroyed.” This correspondent suspects the policy was in effect since the first event in 2017. It may be the Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Colt and Beretta Semi-autos, and the scoped centerfire rifles were all usable for training.
In 2023, a gun turn-in event resulted in 89 firearms being turned in, with $6,450 being paid out in gift cards. It appears about a hundred firearms are turned in every year. After the 2018 event, AL.com reported:
CrimeStoppers Executive Director Tony Garrett said, just as last year, the majority of guns collected were from residents who were not gun users.
This is common. Many of the people turning in guns do not know how much the firearms are worth. There are often a number of bargains available at these events to private purchasers who are willing to pay cash for the desirable firearms that uniformed people want to turn in. Private purchasers allow the organizers of the event to take more guns out of the hands of people who do not want them, and place them into the hands of responsible, legal owners.
Private purchases appear to be legal in Alabama. Alabama is a fairly gun-friendly state. Rifles and shotguns may be the best bargains, as they will only bring $50 in gift cards at this turn-in. Nothing is being paid for ammunition, so there could be some good deals. Sometimes the best deals occur when the organizers run out of gift cards.
For those who attend these events, do your homework. Know what the Alabama laws are. It is best to have more than one person present. Take some pictures to memorialize the event. Be polite and reasonably well dressed. A sign notifying others of your interest in purchasing firearms, and your obvious legal status, is a good idea. Those who show up early and are willing to stay late have the best chances of obtaining the best deals.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
