Citing an increase in gun-related crimes in Selma, Bishop Robert Pettus is spearheading an effort to take firearms off the streets and into a safe, secure location to cut down on violence that has plagued the city for years.

On Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Pettus and members from Macedonia Apostolic Church, the Selma Police Department and the Safe Haven Center will meet at the church to host the second gun buyback program, aiming to eradicate the weapons from city limits.

Anyone who turns in a gun will receive $100, no questions asked.

“This program makes you feel good because, when we get a gun, we know that particular gun will not be used to harm anybody,” Pettus said. “We’ll never get all the guns off the street, but we do know that particular gun that we collect will never ever be used to harm anybody or in any type of violent crime. It feels really good.”

Last year, Pettus said the group was able to collect 57 guns in just under one hour. The response was overwhelming, he said, noting that the group had to turn people away because they had handed out all of their allotted funding.

“Last year was extremely successful,” Pettus said. “And this year, our goal is to exceed it.”

Following last year’s event, Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley told the Times-Journal he was very encouraged by the number of people who brought weapons to the drive.

“We had a very, very good response,” he said in the October interview. “People were lined up on the road. We looked down and there were 47 weapons in a hurry. I knew we would get a response, but we were surprised by the level of the response.”

Referencing the shooting at Club Entourage Friday, Pettus said now was as important a time as ever to curb violence on Selma’s streets.

“It seems like we’ve got something going on every week,” Pettus said. “We feel like this is very much needed to help stop the violence and the crime in our city.”

Guns must be transported to the church, located at 2013 Clinton Ave., in clear, plastic bags and separated from ammunition. If the gun is being transported in a vehicle, it must be placed in the trunk.

To help the group exceed last year’s numbers, Pettus said anyone interested in donating or participating in the program should contact him at 875-5338.