The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is partnering with six local police departments to host gun turn-in events as a public service to help people get rid of unwanted guns. This effort is called “Operation Safe Home” in an effort to prevent accidental shootings in area homes.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele is teaming up with Abington, Lower Merion, Lower Salford, Pottstown,Upper Merion and Whitpain police departments to host Operation Safe Home events in September.

You can go to the Abington Police Department located on 1166 Old York Road to turn in guns on September  12 from 4 to 8 p.m. and on September 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  They will accept all types of unloaded firearms; handguns, rifles, and shotguns. All firearms collected will be melted down and destroyed. Bullets and magazines-clips will not be accepted at the events.

“Many people have both guns and children or grandchildren in their homes and are uncomfortable with that fact,” Steele said in an announcement of the events. “We are making it easy to get rid of unwanted guns and make sure they are destroyed rather than being sold on.”

“The accidental death or injury of a child due to a gunshot is a family tragedy that is avoidable, and it happens eight times every single day in the United States when a child finds a gun in his house and accidentally shoots himself or herself,” said Steele. “It’s a tragedy we are hoping to avoid in Montgomery County. This is an event to get unwanted guns out of houses and have them safely destroyed so they don’t end up in the hands of curious little ones or the hands of criminals.”

Steel said accidental shootings in family homes are often called “family fire,” and that a new ad campaign recently launched to raise awareness of “family fire” and how it can be prevented.

Facts from Montgomery County D.A. Office:

• 13 million households in the United States contain both young children and a gun
• Eight children are unintentionally killed or injured by a gun at home every single day in the United States—that was 3,000 children in 2016.
  (127 of those children died)
• In our region (Philadelphia/Wilmington), three children—a 2-year-old, 4-year-old and 12-year-old—shot themselves in their own homes since last November. (Two died.)

For more information, call the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368 or any participating police department.