LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As we look toward solutions to the city's growing gun violence, gun buy-back programs come to mind for some.
There was such a program decades ago.
Rhonda Mathis said she remembers when the late Pastor Louis Coleman would hold gun buy-back drives on 28th and Broadway in the 90’s. Often, also trying to appeal to young people who were committing crimes.
"We call him 'Buster' Reverend Louis Coleman,” Mathis recalled.
She said Coleman would host the drives every Saturday, which would give away cash in exchange for guns.
Mathis said it didn't stop much of the gun violence of that time, which wasn't as bad as it is now, but it was symbolic and made people feel safe.
“It was effective in the sense that it gave people a sense of hope,” she said. “It did give people some confidence, and they had someone they could go to.”
Mathis said a similar program could work, but it would just scrape the surface of the gun problem in Louisville.
Metro Councilmember Jecorey Arthur, (D-4), said he's finalizing an ordinance to create a gun buy-back program in Louisville.
In a statement, LMPD said it "encourages responsible gun ownership and as such, a gun buyback program could provide an organized and safe means for residents to dispose of unwanted firearms."
Monique Williams, director of the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods sent WHAS the following statement:
"The goal of a gun buyback program is to establish a secure process for citizens to turn in unwanted guns. It gives the community a way to assist in getting unwanted guns off the streets that could fall into the wrong hands. When part of a larger, comprehensive violence reduction strategy, OSHN supports programs that bring awareness to gun violence and thereby empower Louisville residents to make their neighborhoods safer."
Council President David James said he doesn't think such a program would help, saying: "In the past when this was tried in Louisville, we weren't getting high quality weapons like the ones gang members are using on the street. We we're getting grandpas old hunting rifle, so therefore we weren't taking the weapons off the street that were actually being used for violence."
James said he does, however, support councilman Arthur and his efforts.
Mathis says the program could be a start but said there is no one solution to solve gun violence.
“We want solutions, effective solutions, but it's a gambit of things, because we also have to look at policies,” she said.
Mathis said that policy ultimately lies in Frankfort; she said lawmakers have to ease up on restrictions surrounding gun laws for lasting, effective change to happen.
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