The city of Santa Rosa said it acquired 423 firearms for eventual destruction during a recent drive-thru gun buyback event.

The city’s Office of Community Engagement and the Santa Rosa Police Department handed out a total of $76,000 to people who turned over their unwanted firearms, with 47 people donating guns at the Oct. 22 event even after the money ran out, city officials said.

The haul included 409 handguns, shotguns or rifles; eight unregistered “ghost guns” and six assault rifles. People who donated handguns, rifles or shotguns received $200; those donating ghost guns or assault rifles received $300. Those who turned in their guns for no payment received a grateful thank you.

A pickup truck is loaded with surrendered firearms following a gun buyback event in Santa Rosa on Oct. 22, 2022. The event collected 423 guns for which those surrendering weapons received cash incentives until those were depleted. (Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Police Foundation/Instagram)

All of the funding for the event came from private donations from the Santa Rosa Police Foundation, Providence Medical Group, and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, who gave $5,000 toward the cause, as well as state Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, who donated $2,500.

“Buyback programs like this one help protect our community, save lives and prevent these deadly weapons from falling into the wrong hands,” Thompson said in a statement.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.