Lynnwood Police Gun Buyback Event

• Handgun (Pistol): originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one hand and having: a chamber(s) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the bore(s); and a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s).

   

• Rifle/Shotgun:

Rifle: Designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder, and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed metallic cartridge to fire only a single projectile through a rifled bore for each single pull of the trigger.

Shotgun: Designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder, and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.

• Semi-Automatic Rifle: This is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber from a clip or magazine with or without a bayonet lug, with fixed, collapsible, folding stock, buffer tube, or forearm brace, to include AR-15 or AK47 or AK74 pistols and similar model high caliber pistols.

• Nonfunctioning Firearm – A Rifle, handgun, or shotgun that does not appear to be in working condition due to broken, corrosion, rust, or otherwise complete, but nonfunctioning, or an AR-15/AK-47 lower receiver with trigger group and buffer tube (no upper receiver).

   

• Ghost Gun- A ghost gun is any privately made firearm (PMF) that appears to be a fully functioning firearm, produced by a person other than a licensed manufacturer, and without a serial number placed by a licensed manufacturer when the firearm was produced. (3D printed, Harlots, Liberators, Polymer80s).

   

• AR-15: An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Stoner AR-15 design.

   

• AK-47: is any one of a series of automatic rifles based on the original design of Mikhail Kalashnikov

Ghost guns/ Privately made firearms (PMF)

• Ghost guns and PMFs are limited to one gun per resident. See the description above for more information on ghost guns. Ghost guns that are fully assembled will be paid out as their classification of a rifle or handgun.
• We will not accept 3D-printed guns except where the lower receiver is the only 3d printed part and the rest of the gun appears to be fully functional and safe to fire. Discretion as to the legitimacy of the Ghost Gun will be given to the firearms staff at the event.
• We will accept guns made with parts commonly found at home improvement stores (gas pipe barrels, mouse trap hammers, etc.) for destruction ONLY– no gift card exchange.

Residency/verification requirements

Participants must provide proof of residency in Lynnwood and Snohomish County to be eligible to receive a gift card in exchange for a firearm. The proof can be in the form of a government-issued ID, a utility bill, a vehicle registration, or other proof of residency acceptable at the discretion of the onsite staff. We will not be recording your name or otherwise conducting any records checks. That is acceptable if you prefer to cover your name when showing proof of residency to the officer. The purpose of providing your utility bill, ID, or registration is solely to establish that you are a Lynnwood or Snohomish County resident.

Lynnwood Residents will enjoy exclusive access to the event from 10 am to 12 pm. The event will open up to all other residents of Snohomish County from 12 pm-2 pm. Non-Lynnwood participants may not enter the lineup of cars (if any) until 12 pm.

Q. Are gun buybacks effective?

A. For individual households, gun buyback programs lessen the likelihood of gun violence, accidental or intentional, occurring in the home. Many families have unwanted and unused firearms, such as inherited firearms, and people are unsure how to dispose of them. The buyback program allows our community to dispose of unwanted firearms legally, lessening the chance they fall into the wrong hands and are used in gun-related crimes or suicides.

Buyback programs are one part of a broader effort to reduce gun violence and serve as opportunities to educate communities about gun violence reduction strategies.

Q. Is this a violation of my rights to legally own firearms?

A. LPD has no intention of taking away a responsible gun owner’s firearms. This voluntary program is geared toward those uncomfortable with the firearms in their home or no longer using them, affording them a safe, legal way to dispose of them.

Q. What happens to guns that are turned in?

A. All firearms will be checked to see if they are stolen or have been used in any crimes. If the weapon is not stolen or used in a crime, it will be destroyed appropriately by the Lynnwood Police Department. If the weapon is stolen or determined to have been used in a crime, the firearm will be impounded as evidence and not destroyed unless and until its evidentiary value has dissipated. Participants who submit a firearm that is determined to be stolen or related to criminal activity may be properly investigated for their role in any criminal activity related to the firearm.

Firearms with significant historical value may only be converted to department property for display purposes.

Firearms with unloading and clearing mechanisms with training value for department personnel may be converted to department property only for training purposes. Such weapon will be destroyed in the event that it ceases to have training value for department staff.