On Saturday, thousands of weapons were surrendered across New York after the state initiated a buyback program. Gun owners who surrendered their lethal weapons were given $500 gift cards in exchange, according to The Guardian. The program was organized by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who stated that over 3,000 weapons were surrendered. According to the site, they included assault-style rifles and ghost guns, which are constructed from parts of firearms sold unassembled.
“We recovered 3,076 guns today, including 185 assault weapons. Every single one of these guns represents a potential tragedy averted,” Ms. James said on Twitter.
“Thank you to all our partners in law enforcement and government for helping us get these guns off our streets and out of our homes. We’ll continue to do everything we can to protect New Yorkers from gun violence,” she wrote in another tweet. (Alprazolam)
According to ABC News, New York citizens who surrendered weapons paid $500 for the first weapon and an additional $150 for each additional handgun surrendered. The Attorney General’s office had established nine buyback locations throughout New York, including two in Manhattan.
A Record-breaking 751 guns surrendered in New York
According to the New York Post, 751 weapons were surrendered in Syracuse, setting a new record. Thirty-six of these guns were assault weapons, and one of the residents received $5,000 in exchange for turning in a cache of weapons. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez tweeted that 90 weapons were seized at the chapel alone.
“There’s a lot of firepower on this table. And each and every one of these guns is a potential life saved and a non-fatal shooting avoided,” Gonzalez said at a press conference.
While people received $500 for every assault rifle or ghost gun, the government program offered $150 for each handgun, $75 for rifles or shotguns, and $25 for each antique, replica, or homemade gun, including 3-D printed guns.