Ensley gun buyback is just "the beginning" in local battle against gun violence

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - A Birmingham group is asking gun owners to give up their firearms. It's all in hopes of putting an end to the recent gun-related violence here.

We spoke with the group behind Saturday's event, which said this is just the beginning.

One by one, folks came by Crown Bar and Lounge in Ensley to participate in the business' first gun buyback.

"It's a start, because these guns could have been anywhere, in anybody's hands. So it's a start," said owner George Walker.

Walker is a member of 100 Black Men of Birmingham and said he wanted to have the event at his business to be a part of the much needed change he wants to see in the community.

"There are guns in households that don't need to be there," said group member Iva Williams. "And a lot of times parents and grandparents just don't know how to get rid of them."

That's where Saturday's buyback came in. With every gun brought in, it symbolized a hope for change.

"Look how many lives he's already possibly saved," said Jefferson County Millennial Democrats President Le'Darius Hilliard. "Each one of these weapons could have been tomorrow's or today's homicide victims. This is a testament to what awesome leadership and ownership of a business is all about."

And with the turnout, that hope for change grew even more.

"To the men and women that I just met who brought these guns, they stepped up and said they don't want this in their home, they don't want their child, they don't want their grandchild hurt, or they don't want these guns stolen from their homes and in the hands of the wrong people. And I just can't say thank you enough to everybody who participated," said Williams.

To learn more about the group 100 Black Men of Birmingham, go to their Facebook page.

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