Saint Francis and Saint Mary’s Participate in 2026 Statewide Gun Buyback and Safe Giveaway
September 30, 2026Categories: Events
For the sixth straight year, Saint Francis Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital Trauma Departments collaborated with partners from across the state for the #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback and Safe Giveaway to promote gun safety. The event, held on October 3 in several communities around the state, seeks to reduce firearm-related injuries by lowering the number of unwanted and unsecured guns that are in Connecticut homes.
Tracy Fox, RN, Trauma and Injury Prevention Nurse Coordinator at Saint Francis, handed out gun locks and gun safes at the Hartford Gun Buyback.
Christine Dell-Anno, Trauma Registry Team, and Kim Cohen, MSHA, RN, CPHQ, Trauma Program Manager, represented Saint Mary's at the Waterbury Gun Buyback event.
During the buyback events, Connecticut residents are able to turn in working guns in exchange for gift cards. In addition to disposing of unwanted guns, the event promotes safe storage by distributing a limited number of free gun safes and gun locks to participants.
Tracy Fox, RN, Trauma and Injury Prevention Nurse Coordinator, represented Saint Francis at the Hartford event, where 50 firearms were collected along with the distribution of 47 gun safes and 44 gun locks. Kim Cohen, MSHA, RN, CPHQ, Trauma Program Manager, and Christine Dell-Anno, Trauma Registry Team, represented Saint Mary's at the the Waterbury event, which collected 26 guns and distributed 30 gun safes.
Saint Francis has participated in the Capital Region Gun Buyback Program for 18 years, collaborating with Connecticut Children’s, Hartford Hospital, Hartford Police Department, and several community partners. Saint Mary’s has partnered with the Waterbury Police Department, Department of Public Health, and Waterbury Hospital on the area’s Gun Buyback Program since at least 2019.
Initiatives like the #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback are designed to raise awareness in order to reduce injuries and fatalities. Since the inaugural #KeepKidsSafe Connecticut Statewide Gun Buyback in 2020, over 2,400 guns have been collected, including 54 assault weapons, while over 2,900 gun safes were distributed.