Chairman of the WV Freedom Caucus offers to buy guns at Shepherdstown gun buyback event organized by local church

PRESS RELEASE

Shepherdstown, WV – West Virginia Freedom Caucus Chairman S. Chris Anders led a grassroots effort on Saturday, May 2, to preserve privately owned firearms that were being collected and destroyed at a Shepherdstown buyback event hosted by the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church.

In coordination with local business owner Dave of DS Gunworks in Martinsburg, WV, Anders helped organize a group of more than 40 local citizens who offered lawful private purchases as an alternative to surrender and destruction.

Participants stood adjacent to the event and offered cash to willing sellers, providing a free market option in place of gift cards.

“While anti gun activists were trading property for gift cards and cutting up firearms on site, we stood right beside them and offered something better… freedom and fair value,” Anders said.

“In West Virginia, we stand with the 2nd Amendment, and gun grabbers can take their antics elsewhere,” he added.

Organizers reported that numerous firearms were preserved, including vintage Colt revolvers and classic .22 caliber rifles, many of which hold both monetary and historical value.

In one instance, a collectible Colt revolver worth several hundred dollars on the open market was nearly destroyed in exchange for a fifty dollar gift card before being purchased and preserved by participants.

“These were not broken or unusable firearms, these were pieces of history and new, functioning firearms,” Anders said.

“Destroying them does nothing to stop crime, it only disarms the law abiding and erases history,” he explained.

The buyback event offered fifty dollar gift cards for handguns, one hundred dollars for rifles and shotguns, and two hundred dollars for certain semi automatic rifles, followed by immediate destruction.

The Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church leadership called local law enforcement to the scene. After reviewing the situation, officers determined that all activity conducted by Second Amendment supporters was lawful.

“That is exactly how this should work, citizens exercising their rights peacefully, lawfully, and without interference,” Anders said.

“We respect law enforcement, and they recognized that what we were doing was completely within the law,” he pointed out.

Anders’ wife, Laura Anders, also participated in the effort, assisting with outreach and purchases alongside other volunteers.

The group reported that many firearms were personally acquired, secured, and preserved.

A social media post by Anders documenting the event has since garnered more than 3.3 million views and tens of thousands of positive responses, drawing national attention and praise from Second Amendment supporters across the country.

“People across America are taking notice because this is something many have talked about, but few have actually done,” Anders said.

“West Virginia showed that you can stand up, take action, and make a difference.” he emphasized.

Anders emphasized that the effort reflects a broader principle rooted in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and the protection of private property.

“They want fewer citizens owning firearms, we want more firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens more liberty, and more respect for the Constitution,” Anders said.

“The right to keep and bear arms is the inherent right of a free people,” he added.

“On Saturday, we did not just talk about the Second Amendment, we defended it, one firearm at a time,” Anders concluded.