Oakland County-backed group says it has destroyed 1,091 firearms

Commissioner Marsha Gershenson, chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Safer Communities Ad Hoc Committee, opened by saying “Did you know one in four firearms in the United States is owned by someone who did not purchase it?” and outlined the committee’s work to reduce gun violence.

Gershenson said the committee, active since 2022, has allocated grants to programs that promote safe storage, support additional school resource officers and back gun buyback efforts, including support for the nonprofit Disarmory Ministries. "We're supporting safe storage education, supporting additional school resource officers, and largely supporting gun buyback programs and the nonprofit Disarmory Ministries," she said.

Chris Yaw, founder and president of Disarmory Ministries, said his organization is headquartered in Oakland County and has "disposed of 1091 firearms, mostly from Oakland County." He described many of those guns as inherited or passed to people who did not buy them, and argued that recipients often do not know how to use or store the weapons.

Gershenson also stated that "firearms is the number one killer of children in this country." Neither speaker supplied a citation for that statistic during the remarks presented in the transcript.

Speakers described the practical side of the program: according to the presentation, Saint David's Church purchased machines that break down firearms so they cannot be resold, and some of the resulting metal is repurposed into art distributed at buyback events. The speakers characterized the effort as an ongoing local buyback and said Oakland County was an early backer.

The presentation closed with an appeal for resident participation. "Please learn more about upcoming gun destruction events and join us in making a difference," Gershenson said. The speakers did not announce a formal vote or new county policy during these remarks.