Annual #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback & Gun Safe Giveaway Day

ANONYMOUS, NO ID REQUIRED

NO GUN STORE OWNERS PLEASE

*Gift cards will be exchanged for operable guns (while supplies last)

*Guns must be transported in the trunk of the car

*Non-working guns/black-powder weapons, flare guns, ghost guns,pellet/BB guns, & ammunition/magazine clips are not eligible for gift cards but may be turned in

$25: Single & Double Shot (Derringer-Style) Handguns & Any Type of Black Powder Guns

$50: Rifles & Shotguns

$100: Pistol & Revolver Handguns

$200: Assault Weapons (Per CT Summary of Gun Laws. To Be Determined by Police. No Newly Sawed-Off Shotguns)

The buyback and safe giveaway events will be located in these towns and cities in 2026

Gift cards will be provided for operable guns at participating buyback locations. Guns must be unloaded and transported in the vehicle’s trunk or otherwise in accordance with the directions of the participating police department.

Danbury: Police Department, 375 Main Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Guilford: Police Department, 400 Church Street, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Hartford: Police Department, 50 Jennings Road, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Meriden: Police Department, 30 Butler Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Newtown: Police Department, 191 South Main Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Norwalk: Police Department, 1 Monroe Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (Big Y Gift Cards)
Stamford: Police Department, 725 Bedford Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Waterbury: Police Department Training Center, 240 Bank Street, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Westport: Police Department, 50 Jesup Rd,(10AM-1PM)

In addition, the following towns will participate in the gun safe giveaway.

Bridgeport: [ADDRESS AND TIME TO BE CONFIRMED]
Cheshire: Police Department, 500 Highland Avenue, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
New Britain: Police Department, 642 Christian Lane, Berlin, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
New Haven: Police Department, 230 Ashmun Street, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
New London: Police Department, 5 Governor Winthrop Boulevard, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Plainfield: Police Department, 210 Norwich Road, 9 a.m.–noon
Waterford: Police Department, 41 Avery Lane, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Gun safes are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Requirements may vary by location, and residents should confirm local instructions before attending.

Sponsors & Partners for the #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Gun Buyback & Gun Safe Giveaway Day

The statewide coalition includes the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation, Ethan Miller Song Foundation, Connecticut Against Gun Violence Education Fund, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Children’s, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Connecticut Violence Intervention Program, Bridgeport Hospital, Hartford Hospital, MidState Medical Center, Mothers United Against Violence, Northwell Health, Project Longevity-Waterbury, Saint Francis Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Stamford Health, Waterbury Hospital, Waterbury PAL, Wilton Quaker Meeting, Yale New Haven Hospital, participating municipalities and police departments, and other community partners.

HISTORY

There are 465 million civilian-owned guns in America. Guns kill over 46,000 Americans and injure thousands more in a single year. Firearms are now the leading cause of death for American children and teens. Gun violence is a public health crisis that requires a comprehensive solution.

According to the American Pediatric Association, “The absence of guns in homes and communities is the most reliable and effective measure to prevent firearm-related injuries in children and adolescents.” Studies show having a gun in the home doubles an individual’s risk for homicide and triples the risk of suicide.

The Campaign to Keep Kids Safe (CKKS) was established in 2019 by the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation and the Ethan Miller Song Foundation as an educational program for parents, educators & healthcare professionals to reduce unintentional shootings among children and childhood gun suicides and homicides in America; to provide gun safes to gun owners; and promote community gun buyback opportunities.

CKKS encourages communities to host voluntary gun buyback and biometric gun safe giveaway events to offer an opportunity for gun owners to remove unwanted weapons safely from their homes and communities and help to promote gun safety and safe firearm storage practices.

The gun buyback and gun safe giveaway day is an important community safety initiative that will help gun owners and their family members dispose unwanted and/or unsecured guns to help reduce the risk of homicides, suicides, unintentional shootings, domestic violence, and keep guns from getting into the wrong hands - such as children, individuals who may be facing a mental health crisis, individuals with dementia, perpetrators of domestic violence, and criminals.

The need remains urgent. Guns are the leading cause of death for American children and teens, and recent research estimates that approximately 6.7 million children live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked gun. In Connecticut, more than 2,000 people were killed with guns between 2015 and 2024, including 831 people killed in gun homicides and 1,192 who died by gun suicide.

During the first five annual #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback and Gun Safe Giveaway Days (2021-2025), participating communities collected and destroyed more than 2,082 guns, including 47 assault weapons, and distributed more than 2,371 gun safes, along with hundreds of gun-safety educational materials on safe storage, extreme risk protection orders, and suicide prevention.