Selma admittedly has a violent crime problem. Last year our city averaged one murder per month. In a city of 20,000 people, 12 murders per year is quite large.

Lowering the murder rate is a difficult task, but we are happy to see one church trying to help out in the effort to curb violent crime involving guns. On April 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Macedonia Apostolic Church will have a gun buy back event, doling out cash for guns, with no questions asked.  Guns are destroyed after being collected.

Though the event won’t stop all violent crime in Selma, Macedonia and its pastor, Robert Pettus, should be applauded for taking a small step to make Selma a better place.

A $100 bill isn’t likely enough for every criminal to turn over his or her gun, but we are hopeful that Pettus and the church will continue to receive donations for the event, enough to pay all the Selma residents that show up to turn in their weapon.

In the event’s first year, the event collected 57 guns. Collections dropped slightly to 37 guns collected in the second year, because of a shortage of funding.

When it comes to fighting violent crime, every little bit helps and the same goes for the gun buy back event. Every little donation gets the church one step closer to getting illegal and stolen guns off of Selma’s streets.