LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Larry Griffo was one of the many that drove to St. Mark Baptist Church on Saturday.
The event, hosted by The Mu Beta Sigma Alumni Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Inc. saw many people show up like Griffo, who actually dropped off an old shotgun that he's had for years.
"It was a family heirloom. It was handed down from my grandfather to my father, to me but we were in a different geographical area. They really serve no purpose in the city limits. There's no need for a shot gun," said Griffo.
He decided to give the firearm up because he fears someone burglarizing his property and didn't want it to be stolen.
Additionally, he has younger grandchildren and didn't want to risk what could possibly happen if they discovered the gun. These concerns are in addition to the worry he has about the violent gun crimes that have been happening not only in the city, but around the country.
"It's foolishness, it's deadly, and it's life changing. We're trying to do things now to try to change the future," he said.
Griffo has been wanting to dispose of the shotgun and thought a 'Gun Buy Back' event was the perfect way to do so.
This year alone, there have already been 35 homicides in Little Rock with a majority of the incidents involving gun violence.
This time last year, there were 30 homicides when the fraternity worked with Little Rock police and local churches to host their annual 'Gun Buy Back' event.
Their continued hope is that the effort will take more illegal guns off of the street that would otherwise later be used in a crime.
"If we can get one gun that's going to possibly save a life, stop a crime, it's worth it. We have to do something and this is the beginning of what we can do as brothers in the community to make a difference," said Larry Harris, fraternity president.
Harris said the process to give a gun is both quick and easy. People can simply arrive and hand over any guns, no questions asked.
After inspecting the gun to be clear of any bullets, the fraternity gives a $50-100 gift card to the person who dropped the firearm off.
The $50 gift cards for an inoperable gun and the $100 gift cards are for an operable one.
The fraternity then hands the guns over to undercover Little Rock police officers who process the gun before it's sent to be destroyed.
"We have to do whatever we can to help deter this because this is a problem that's affecting all of us," said Harris.
Glenn Hersey is the outreach pastor at St. Mark Baptist Church where they held the 2nd annual event. He's also a part of the fraternity.
He said in the wake of everything happening across the nation, the church is happy to help reduce any level of violence happening in the city.
"We want to thank the people who came out and lined up before the event even started to donate their guns," said Hersey.
Last year they collected a total of 17 guns, but this year they collected 40.