48 Guns Turned in at Poughkeepsie Gun Buyback
After hearing the tragic news from Buffalo over the weekend, I think sharing the success of last weekend's Poughkeepsie gun buyback is super important.
If you missed it last week, we told you that New York Attorney General Letitia James was hosting a gun buyback program in Poughkeepsie on Saturday, May 14th. The AG's Office along with Poughkeepsie Police offered money to anyone ready to turn in a firearm.
They offered $300 per assault rifle, $150 per handgun, $75 per rifle or shotgun, and $25 per non-working, replica, or antique firearm. All guns working and non-working could be exchanged on-site and once the firearm was received and secured by law enforcement, officials paid the agreed amount in the form of prepaid gift cards.
According to Attorney General James, the three-hour gun buyback resulted in 48 guns being taken off Poughkeepsie streets,
"Gun buybacks are essential to getting these dangerous weapons off our streets and out of circulation, and also save lives in the process. Every gun that is turned in today will help keep our neighborhoods safe, and I thank the Poughkeepsie Police Department for their invaluable support and collaboration in this effort."
What Type of Guns Were Turned in?
Guns collected in Poughkeepsie included 14 long guns, 19 handguns, 12 non-working guns, and three assault rifles. Since 2013, gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected more than 5,000 firearms. The 48 guns collected were a little less than the last year's gun buyback that brought in 55 firearms.
With results like these, more gun buybacks are sure to be scheduled soon as gun issues continue all over New York, "Communities in New York and across the nation are grappling with a rise in gun violence, and we must do all we can to combat this crisis and protect people from harm," said Attorney General James. The gun buyback program excepts all firearms working or not with no questions asked and once more are scheduled we will update this article with times and locations.