Turn in a gun in Philly Saturday and get a PlayStation 3 or other gift

Twenty-three more people have been arrested and charged with gun trafficking and related offenses, the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force announced Friday.

The arrests were made between May 1 and July 14 and included 20 Philadelphians, a Bucks County man, a Delaware County man, and a woman from Camden, officials said.

The task force - special investigators and prosecutors from the District Attorney's Office and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, working with Philadelphia police - has made 472 arrests and seized 847 firearms since it was formed in December 2006, officials said.

The task force also has helped police solve several shootings, homicides, and other crimes, officials said. Its effort has resulted in convicting 239 people of "straw" purchasing and other gun-related crimes, officials said.

A "straw" buyer illegally purchases and transfers a gun to a convicted felon or someone else prohibited from having a firearm.

For example, among those arrested and charged was Akiem Smith, 19, of the 1300 block of South Fourth Street. Smith, who was too young to buy a firearm legally, is accused of trying to use a "straw" purchaser to buy a gun, officials said.

When the attempt failed, Smith reportedly had his mother, whose name was not disclosed, buy a .45-caliber handgun for him, officials said. Officers recovered the gun, which had an obliterated serial number.

In an effort to reduce the number of guns on Philadelphia's streets, community groups and police will hold a "Turn in Your Gun Campaign" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Myer Recreation Center, 58th Street and Chester Avenue.

Individuals who turn in guns will receive gift cards, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video consoles, and other items, depending on the caliber of the weapons.