Jersey City's latest gun buyback program was completed this morning with the shredding of 527 assorted handguns, rifles and shotguns at Sims Metal Management in Jersey City.

The program, dubbed as Operation LifeSaver, was started by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy back in 2005. That year, police recovered more than 900 guns that were turned in to police in an effort to curb violence in the city.

"We were doing gun buybacks long before it was fashionable," Healy said today. "The guns today were all collected and crushed in the past months with no cost to the taxpayers."

Gun owners who returned the guns received $100 for every rifle and shotgun and $150 for every handgun and automatic weapon. According to Healy, the money was raised through citizens and private businesses, including Sims Metal Management who donated $20,000 to the effort.

"We owe them a great deal of thanks," Healy said.

The weapons have been in police custody since they were collected as part of the program.

Today, the weapons were placed in large metal drums and put through a 9,000 horsepower shredder at the Sims Metal Management site off of Linden Avenue. Once through the shredder, the weapons are ground down into hand sized pieces and recycled.

Those remnants will then be sent to a steel mill to be melted down and reused for new steel.

Police Chief Tom Comey praised the buyback effort and its ability to take deadly weapons off the streets.

"It's the public sector working with private organizations to remove weapons from the street...weapons that could take lives," Comey said. "Those weapons were destroyed today."

Healy added, "(We) collected those guns in the past months with no cost to the taxpayers. Every gun we get off the streets makes our city a little bit safer."