Document text
Going out without a bang: Police put guns out of service Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Officer Mitch Gibson of the Medford Police Department uses a cutting torch to destroy firearms gathered during last month�s Ceasefire Gun Turn-in program. Medford police destroyed more than 300 guns Thursday that were gathered as part of the local Ceasefire gun turn-in last month. The May 13 program � the first of its kind in Southern Oregon � saw the most weapons ever turned in for Ceasefire Oregon with 314 rifles, shotguns and handguns. It took officers six hours to disable the weapons Thursday using torches to cut through barrels, slides and triggers. The wood will be burned and the metal recycled. "A lot of the guns were unsafe and needed to be destroyed," said Sgt. Roy Skinner of the Medford Police Department. Medford police also destroyed another 50 guns they had collected as evidence in criminal investigations. In the Ceasefire program, people who turned in guns no-questions-asked received $50 gift certificates. Skinner said serial number checks were checked; none were found to be stolen or used in a crime. The turn-in was a great opportunity for the public to get rid of unwanted weapons, said volunteer Ginger Rilling, a member of Mediation Works, the group that cosponsored Ceasefire Medford. "It opens up conversation around the issues of guns and gun violence," said Rilling. In fact, so many guns were turned in May 13 that organizers ran out of gift certificates. They had estimated a turn-in of about 100 guns, not more than 300. But 214 people who received IOUs May 13 have been mailed gift certificates, said Ceasefire Executive Director Diana Madarieta. The additional cost was covered by existing organization funds and personal donations, she said. Ceasefire, a nonprofit organization, was established in Portland in 1994. Turn-ins are held yearly throughout the state. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA