Lance Lucas, a technology services entrepreneur and president of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce, will co-sponsor the second annual “Stop Shooting, Start Coding” computers-for-guns initiative this Saturday in McElderry Park.

Between noon and 4 p.m., owners of guns “can turn them in and receive a free laptop or tablet; no questions are asked,” Lucas said, adding that the Dell E6400 and Hewlett-Packard computers on hand are all valued over $200.

The event, co-sponsored by the Police Department, Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice and McElderry Park Revitalization Coalition, “highlights the community’s rejection of gun violence and how alternatives, such as technology education, offer pathways to success,” he said.

The exchange will take place at the McElderry Park Community Association Center at 611 N. Montford Avenue.

Last summer, Lucas’ non-profit organization, Digit All Systems (DAS), sponsored a highly successful guns-for-laptops exchange in North Baltimore.

Computer Training Program

Speckled with abandoned houses and the scene of numerous homicides, McElderry Park is the recipient of a three-year, $1 million Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant to address gun violence, workforce development and community revitalization.

Lance said his company will be training 57 people to become certified computer technicians as part of the grant program. The first training class starts August 18 at the community center.