Boston Mayor Martin Walsh's controversial gun buyback program claimed 30 firearms in its first day, as cops touted the results as a sign that the trade-in will prove more effective than a much-criticized 2006 effort, the Boston Herald reports. Five of the guns collected yesterday came in before Walsh's formal launch of the program, which offers a $200 gift card for any workable gun brought to one of 23 drop-off sites. Police didn’t say how many guns qualified for gift cards, but they included a .380, a 9 mm and a .22-caliber pistol.
“Those are some serious street guns,” Police Superintendent in Chief William Gross said. “We're not looking for granddad's rifle above the fireplace.” Walsh announced the buyback last month after Janmarcos Pena, 9, was shot dead in his apartment. His 14-year-old brother is charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm. A 2006 buyback that netted 1,000 guns was written off as ineffective because many of the guns were not the type of weapons used in violent street crime.