A North Carolina pastor is determined to do his bit to make the world a safer place. 

Reverend Mark Rowden of Second Missionary Baptist Church is alarmed by levels of youth violence in the city and is doing something unusual to cut it down. 

He's offering gift cards to anyone who turns in their guns. The weapons buy-back scheme has the support of Fayetteville council member Larry Wright, who is helping to get it off the ground. 

He told ABC 11: "Rev. Mark visualised that, you know, we need to get guns off the street.  Pastor Rowden often says that one gun off the street could be a life saved." 

News of the buy-back programme comes just days after a Fayetteville teenager was shot and wounded outside a house part.  The suspect is just 17-years-old.  

The buy-back will be held on November 22 at the Second Baptist Church from 9am until 1pm.  Gun owners will be given the opportunity of turning in their weapons, no questions asked, in return for gift cards.

The gift cards will vary in value depending on the condition of the weapon.  

Wright said: "We are tired of the shootings.  We are tired of the killings, and we are tired of this wild, wild west type of mentality." 

Similar programmes have been tried by pastors elsewhere.  After the fatal shooting of a teenage girl at a gas station in Huntsville, Alabama, several churches came together to offer $50 prepaid credit cards in exchange for weapons.

The mother of the murdered teenager was a lifelong member of Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, which was part of the scheme.  

Union Chapel's the Rev Dr Wendell O Davis told Al.com that the larger goal was to send evangelism teams into the community and help put an end to violence.

He said: "I know we're not even scratching the surface in terms of getting guns off the street. But if one life is saved as a result, then it will be worth it."