<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers and police officials Tuesday announced a program aimed at curbing gun violence by exchanging tickets for guns. The one-week program opens Wednesday. Anyone can bring a working gun into a city police station and exchange it for a voucher good for a pair of tickets to an upcoming 76ers game, no questions asked. "If we get one [gun], it's a successful program," said Billy King, the team's president. "If we get one, if we get a thousand, whatever we get that's going to be good enough." Sitting at a table with 15 guns ranging from semiautomatic rifles to tiny, easily concealed handguns, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said the program wasn't only for illegal guns. He would be happy if law-abiding citizens turned in their firearms, too. "Any gun that can kill needs to be taken off the streets," Johnson said. The city's murder rate spiked last year and is on a similar pace in 2006. There were 380 homicides in the city in 2005 -- the highest total in five years. There were 44 homicides in the city from Jan. 1 through Monday, just slightly off last year's pace. The program is similar to one the 76ers ran in 1999. "Guns for Gear" brought in close to 900 guns in just three days. The 76ers aren't the first NBA team to run such a program. The Denver Nuggets traded tickets for guns for several years as part of the "Operation Cease Fire" program in the mid to late '90s.</div> Source: ESPN Sounds like a good idea, and hopefully it works as well. I think it would be nice to see more teams doing something like this.
Very nice thing to do...can't belive that they got close to 900 guns in 3 days back in 1999..just amazing
I just noticed I used the word "being" instead of "beginning" in the title... Can a mod change it please? Thanks.
The way they are playing they are probably scared that they might be the targets. But all jokes aside, this is a smart move. Get more fans to rally the team and keep the streets a little more safer.
haha. lol. i agree with avery, and everyone else. this is definetly for good cause, and hopefully it will save a couple of lives. but in all seriousness, if i lived in the ghetto, i would rather keep my gun then to exchange it to watch a sixer game, and most likely come home empty thanks to a loss.
Wow this is an awesome program, I wonder if they will do spinoff programs like trade in illegal drugs for 76er tickets?
This is just another promotion to try to get fans into the stands, and up attendance. They have been coming out of the wood work with promotions lately From the five game 75 dollar ticket plan to this. It’s a good deed and all, but I think their intentions are not just to collect guns.
BKS is right, they are desperate to get rid of tickets. If they were a hot commidity you wouldn't even see a program like this.
