Gun buyback program

A gun buyback program is one instituted to purchase privately owned firearms. The goal of such programs is to reduce the circulation of both legally and illegally owned firearms. A buyback program would provide a process whereby civilians can dispose of illicitly owned firearms without financial loss or risk of prosecution. In most cases, the agents purchasing the guns are local police.^{[citation needed]} A gun buyback program can either be voluntary, or it can be mandatory with penalties for failure to sell.