Happy to dump the guns

With a .38-caliber handgun at his side, Arnold Craven showed up at a Compton strip mall Saturday morning to start his holiday season on a happy note. He was trading the weapon for a $50 gift card, which he planned to use for a Christmas present.

Craven was one of dozens of people who turned in weapons Saturday as part of a “Gifts for Guns” event sponsored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Compton. In exchange for gift cards, deputies were hoping to rid the streets of some deadly firearms and maybe even solve a crime in the process.

“These could be a piece of the puzzle that we can tie to an unsolved crime,” said Lt. Joseph Gooden of the Compton sheriff’s station, pointing to rifles and handguns stacked on a table.

He said each gun would undergo a ballistics test. The exchange, which also will take place Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, netted 641 guns last year. Two of the weapons helped investigators solve two robberies in the Long Beach area, Gooden said. Half a dozen other guns had been reported stolen.

To encourage people to come forward, deputies were not asking questions or taking names. The only requirement was that the guns be in working order. People got their choice of gift cards from Ralphs, Circuit City or Toys R Us.

Compton, which has about 96,000 residents, for years has been ranked among the nation’s deadliest cities. Last year, 72 people were killed within the city’s 10 square miles. So far this year, 35 homicides have been recorded.

Compton City Councilwoman Barbara Calhoun said Saturday’s event showed that officials were doing everything they could to stem the violence. “We have a lot of good things going on in the city,” Calhoun said.

By the end of the day, deputies had collected an odd array of 56 weapons, including a rusty shotgun from the early 1900s, two World War II-era Russian infantry rifles and newer-model semiautomatic pistols.

Craven, a 56-year-old Compton resident, was among those who turned in a newer handgun. He said he bought the gun several years ago for protection but decided to get rid of it after turning to Christianity.

“With my faith, I have no need for weapons,” Craven said, holding a Ralphs gift certificate.

Retta Jackson, 74, a grandmother from Inglewood, said she wanted to get rid of the pump-action shotgun that had been gathering dust under her bed. The firearm had belonged to her husband, who died several years ago.

Jackson and her 18-month-old grandson left with a Ralphs card. “I can use the groceries,” she said.

Joseph Capello of El Segundo said he used to be an avid hunter and at one time owned 25 rifles and pistols. But with a 5-year-old son in the house, Capello said, he no longer has the desire to own weapons.

So he turned in four hunting rifles -- the last of his collection -- in exchange for two gift cards that he plans to give away as presents.

“I want to enjoy my Christmas,” he said. “I don’t believe in violence anymore.”

robert.lopez@latimes.com