Police traded gift cards for guns in Los Angeles on Wednesday, in a buyback program Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced as a crime-fighting response to the deadly shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut.

  Police officers handed out $200 grocery store gift cards to people who turned in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to those who provided a handgun, rifle or shotgun.

  Los Angeles has held an annual gun buyback since 2009, and similar events have been organized in years past in several other cities, including Detroit and Boston. Police in San Diego had a buyback earlier this month.

  Some experts say the buybacks have little effect in reducing gun violence, but Villaraigosa touted the buyback program as one step that can be taken in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14 that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adult staff members.

  The shooter, Adam Lanza, killed himself and also shot to death his mother at the home he shared with her, police said.

  Los Angeles normally has its gun buyback in May, but Villaraigosa announced last week that the city would have this special buyback in response to the Newtown tragedy.

  "There are a number of things we can do. This is just one of them," Villaraigosa said on CNN. "We've got to also address the culture of violence that we've got in this country."

  At last count, the Los Angeles gun buyback had collected 1,366 firearms, including 477 handguns and 49 assault weapons, said Vicki Curry, a spokeswoman for the mayor.

  The buyback ended at 4 pm local time, but a final tally of guns collected was not expected to be released before Thursday. In May, the city's annual gun buyback program collected 1,673 firearms at six locations, compared to two locations used for the program on Wednesday, Curry said.

  At each of the locations where the buyback was held, a line of cars stretched around the block, Curry said. People dropping off their guns were asked to leave them in the trunks of their cars, where officers retrieved the weapons. Those surrendering their guns were allowed to remain anonymous.

  周三洛杉矶警方开展回收枪支活动，用购物卡换枪支。市长安东尼奥·维拉戈沙宣布这一活动是为了应对康涅狄格州纽镇疯狂致命枪击事件而采取的抗击犯罪的举措。

  警察向那些上交自动武器的人分发价值200美元的百货商店购物卡，向那些上交手枪、步枪或猎枪的人分发价值100美元的购物卡。

  自2009年以来，洛杉矶每年都会进行一次枪支回收，过去几年在其他几个城市也组织过类似的活动，包括底特律和波斯顿。圣地亚哥的警方在本月早些时候还举行了一次枪支回收活动。

  某些专家认为回收枪支对于减少枪支暴力没什么作用，但维拉戈沙表示回收枪支活动是应对康涅狄格州纽镇桑迪霍克小学枪击事件的一个举措。12月14日发生的这起枪击事件导致20名儿童和6名成年教职员丧生。

  警方称，枪击者亚当·兰扎开枪打死了自己，还在家射杀了和自己一同居住的母亲。

  洛杉矶往年都是在五月份举行枪支回收活动，但维拉戈沙上周宣布，为了对纽镇的这一惨案做出回应，该市将举行这场特别的枪支回收活动。

  维拉戈沙在CNN（美国有线电视新闻网）电视台上说：“我们能做的事情有很多。这只是其中一件。我们还必须对这个国家的暴力文化采取应对措施。”

  市长的一名女发言人维姬·卡瑞称，根据最新统计，洛杉矶这次枪支回收活动已经收集了1366支枪械，包括477支手枪和49件攻击性武器。

  这场回收活动于当地时间下午四点结束，但所回收枪支的最终数目将在周四后公布。卡瑞称，今年五月该市举行了一年一度的枪支回收活动，从六个场地收集了1673支枪械，而周三的回收活动从两个场地就回收了1366支枪械。

  卡瑞说，在每个回收现场的街区都排着一列长长的车队。警方要求前来交枪的人们把枪放在车的后备箱里，由警察去取回枪支。警方允许上交枪支的人保持匿名。