Palm Springs police are hoping members of the public will come forward to turn in unwanted guns this weekend, and they’re offering an incentive.
A no questions asked “gun buyback event” is planned for Saturday April 17 from 10 AM until 4 PM at 200 S. Civic Drive. There is no limit to the number of firearms that can be turned in anonymously by individuals. Those surrendering weapons will be given a $50 gift card for inoperable firearms, $100 in gift cards for handguns, $200 for shotguns and rifles, and $250 in gift cards for assault weapons (as classified in the State of California).
Police will verify the serial numbers for each firearm to determine whether it has been reported stolen. Stolen firearms will be returned to their owners. The remaining firearms will be taken into the police department’s property/evidence room and scheduled for destruction.
Police advise anyone choosing to participate in the program to leave their firearm in their vehicle and walk to a waiting officer and explain that you have a firearm to submit for a gift card. The officer will safely retrieve the firearm from the vehicle after which a gift card in the appropriate amount will be handed out.
A similar event last year resulted in the collection of 128 weapons, the department reported, including 58 rifles, 41 pistols, and 29 shotguns.
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BRIEFLY
Well-known home sold?: A 7,200-square-foot South Palm Springs home belonging to actress Suzanne Somers is listed as contingent after being on and off the market for more than a decade. “Bellosguardo,” featuring seven bedrooms and 10 baths in the main home, along with four additional villas, sits on 28 acres in The Mesa neighborhood. It was listed at $8.5 million, but the final sale price will not be known until closing. Backup offers are being accepted. Somers has owned the home for more than four decades with her husband, producer Alan Hamel. It was listed by real estate agents Josh Flagg and his husband Bobby Boyd, stars of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles.”
Survey participants sought: Both the city and the county need residents to participate in online surveys. The city, along with Palm Springs Disposal Services, is seeking opinions on organic waste collection, which will soon be mandated by the state. That survey can be found here. Meanwhile, Riverside County wants to know your opinion on COVID-19 vaccines. The survey is part of an effort to better understand the public’s feelings about vaccination and the experiences people have had with Coronavirus to this point. The survey can be found here in both Spanish and English.
Pinball museum: A proposed pinball museum in the building currently occupied by The Desert Sun at 750 N Gene Autry Trail was given a preliminary green light by the Palm Springs Planning Commission Wednesday evening. Museum of Pinball, which hopes to move into the building, currently operates in Banning. The news outlet’s parent corporation, Gannett, put the building up for sale last year for $7.5 million. It is reportedly in escrow with Industrial Realty Group LLC, which would lease the building to the pinball museum and also allow the newspaper’s editorial staff to occupy the upper floor.
EVENTS
TODAY
- Story time: “Read-To-Me Story Time” with children’s librarian Nancy Valdivia takes place at 10 AM this morning on YouTube and Facebook.
FRIDAY
- Book club: Friends of the Palm Springs Library holds its monthly meeting via Zoom at 2 PM. To participate, please contact David Kelly by email — DavidJaxKelly@gmail.com — to get the Zoom meeting ID and password. This month the group will discuss “Ramona” by Helen Hunt Jackson.
ALL WEEK
- Modernism: Modernism Week, including many in-person experiences, takes place through Sunday, April 18. Tickets for in-person events can be found here, although many are sold out.
- Art Show: Desert X art installations are on display throughout the Coachella Valley, including several within the Palm Springs city limits. The free event runs through May 16. A map of the installations can be found here. Some require reservations to view.
- Vaccines: Anyone 16 and older now qualifies for a vaccine in Riverside County. If you qualify, you can get one at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 North Avenida Caballeros, from 8 AM-5 PM today, and all week through Friday. Appointments can be reserved online at www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. No luck at the convention center? Find a list of community providers such as pharmacies here.
