CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – City Council has approved an ordinance allowing the Police Chief to enact a gun buyback program. It’s an initiative new police chief Michael Kochis says is a multi-pronged approach in reducing gun violence in the city. The ordinance clears the way for Kochis to enter an agreement with any of a number of nonprofits who have contacted him to facilitate the program, and give a financial incentive for someone to sell their unwanted firearm.

Kochis says the program costs the city no money as the nonprofit usually provides the compensation in the form of gift cards or other currency. The Police Department will take the purchased gun and incinerate it.

Kochis says the most valuable aspect of a program like this is community engagement… having “organic conversations” that, if someone has more firearms at home, educating them about how and where to store them and provide them with gun locks.