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Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown and Shaq partner up for gun buyback event on Saturday

Basketball star and licensed deputy Shaquille O'Neal is supporting a gun buyback event planned by Dallas Sheriff Marian Brown scheduled for Saturday.
Rick Scuteri/Rick Scuteri/Invision/AP
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Basketball star and licensed deputy Shaquille O'Neal is supporting a gun buyback event planned by Dallas Sheriff Marian Brown scheduled for Saturday.

Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown and Shaq want your guns.

They'll give a $100 gift card for handgun and $125 for a long firearm beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday [Feb. 10] at the Dallas County Sheriff鈥檚 Department Training Academy, 8401 S. Polk St.

Critics of gun buybacks say they don't reduce crime.

But Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown says they help reduce weapon-involved accidents.

"Some people have said to us, 鈥榃ell, you know, that that does not affect crime,鈥 鈥 Brown said. 鈥淲hat we are trying to affect is safety. That's what we are trying to affect 鈥 gun violence.鈥

Licensed deputy and basketball star Shaquille O'Neal is one partner in the county-wide event.

鈥淚 support Sheriff Brown鈥檚 initiatives,鈥 O鈥橬eal said in a statement. 鈥淸The] Sheriff is doing the right thing and keeping our communities safe.鈥

The goal is for residents to get rid of up to three guns.

"If an individual is accidentally shot, i.e. a child playing with a weapon, then that's gun violence,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淚t's not necessarily a crime, but that's gun violence, and that's what we're trying to affect.鈥

Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at .

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Marina Trahan Martinez is 四虎影院's Dallas County government accountability reporter. She's a veteran journalist who has worked in the Dallas area for many years. Prior to coming to 四虎影院, she was on The Dallas Morning News Watchdog investigative and accountability team with Dave Lieber. She has written for The New York Times since 2001, following the 9/11 attacks. Many of her stories for The Times focused on social justice and law enforcement, including Botham Jean's murder by a Dallas police officer and her subsequent trial, Atatiana Jefferson's shooting death by a Fort Worth police officer, and protests following George Floyd's murder. Marina was part of The News team that a Pulitzer finalist for coverage of the deadly ambush of Dallas police officers in 2016.