Two moms from Brampton have decided to launch their own gun buyback program after city council rejected a paid gun amnesty initiative at the end of March.

In a release on May 11, Chrissy Zammit and Tiffany Richards-Johnson announced the launch of “No Guns Know Peace Inc.”, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting and supporting Peel Regional Police's non-paid gun amnesty program currently running through the month of May.

According to police statistics, 10 of Peel Region’s 26 homicides in 2018 were committed with firearms.

“As a mom I can tell you that the best Mother’s Day gift is a safe community. We are concerned with the rise in gun violence in Brampton and believe the gun buyback program is a part of the solution,“ said Zammit in a release.

“No mother should ever have to suffer through Mother’s Day without their children around them because they were lost to gun violence,” added Richards-Johnson.

Brampton council voted against a city-run gun buyback program proposed by wards 7 and 8 Coun. Charmaine Williams at its March 27 meeting, which would have seen the city pay $100 for each unwanted gun turned into to police.

Instead, council opted to support Peel police’s non-paid gun amnesty program after a presentation from Peel police chief Chris McCord, in which he said the force had no evidence to show incentive-based amnesty programs were effective and that Peel police aren’t allowed to use its funding to pay for guns.

Just one month later, Toronto police launched a buyback initiative of their own, promising to pay $200 for long guns and $350 for handguns.

Zammit and Richards-Johnson said they’re hoping the added incentive in Brampton will provide a boost to the ongoing non-paid Peel police amnesty program, which allows residents to turn unwanted firearms without fear of weapons-related criminal code charges.

“We have raised initial amount of funds and have a target of paying for the first 50 people who hand in their guns. If the demand is greater we will attempt to raise even more,” said Richards-Johnson.