”Man up, gun down.”
That’s how Cory Crosby is marketing his movement against gun violence.
Crosby, 30, a community organizer, is raising money for an event on Saturday, in which people can exchange their guns for cash or gift cards. The event, Columbia Gift 4 Gun Exchange, intends to offer $100 or gift cards of the same worth to whoever turns in their guns.
The Columbia Police Department will destroy all received weapons by rendering them inoperable and will recycle all leftover metal, department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer wrote in an email. Guns with altered serial numbers will be sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Laboratory.
Crosby said he hopes to get at least 20 guns turned in, and he thinks the buyback could provide a first step to people.
“That opens up a door to people who turn in the guns,” Crosby said. “That opens up a door to offer them alternatives and solutions that kind of say, hey, here’s something you can do (for the community).”
The online fundraiser has raised $625 as of Tuesday afternoon, but Crosby said he would continue to work with other sponsors including the Hawthorn Bank.
In recent years, Columbia has seen an increase in gun-related assaults and robberies.
From 2001 to 2014, the annual numbers of firearm-related assaults and robberies in Columbia averaged less than 50, respectively, according to data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The numbers then spiked in 2015, with 162 assaults and 69 robberies involving guns. The 2017 data to date shows 79 gun-related assaults and 53 gun-related robberies. Seven people in Columbia have been killed by rifles, handguns and unknown firearms in 2017, according to the highway patrol data.
Rosalie Metro, 39, an assistant teaching professor at MU, donated $25 to the fundraiser. She said she was inspired by Crosby’s attempt to raise the community’s awareness of gun violence in Columbia.
“I believe in the Second Amendment and that people have the right to own guns,” Metro said. “But if people find themselves with guns on their hands that they don’t want, I think they should have a safe way to get rid of them while at the same time getting gifts for their families for holidays. I think that’s just a beautiful idea.”
Like Crosby, Metro said she is worried about escalating gun violence in the city. She thinks loosened Missouri gun laws contribute to the problem.
“I think we’re seeing the results of that,” she said.
Missouri repealed its permit-to-purchase handgun law in 2007, which required comprehensive background checks and purchase permits on gun buyers. A study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research later found a positive correlation between the repeal and increased gun-related homicides in Missouri.
In September 2016, the state passed a law to allow permit-less carry of concealed weapons, which expanded gun rights in Missouri. The law also included a ”stand your ground” law, which allows gun owners to fire on public property if they sense danger. A Columbia resident who shot the thief of his cell phone later argued that he thought the law was on his side.
Apart from Missouri legislation, Metro said the lack of awareness of safe firearm storage is also a problem.
“Unfortunately, Missouri is one of the leading states in shootings by toddlers and children,” Metro said, “because people are not always properly educated about how to store their guns safely.”
Therefore, she said she wants to help educate families on securing firearms and preventing teen suicides.
Metro hopes to make a difference through her donation.
“I thought it was a worthwhile cause to donate to,” Metro said, “and I totally support the attempts of a community really affected by gun violence to try to find solutions to that.”