Suzanne Russell

@srussellmycj

UNION COUNTY - Cash payments of up to $200 per firearm are being offered as part of a state gun buyback program that will be offered in nearby Newark this coming weekend.

And even through the nearest drop off site is in Essex County, Union County residents are encouraged to participate.

The gun buyback program will be run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29, at the Greater Abyssinian Baptist Church, Lyons Avenue, Newark just a few blocks from Hillside and a short distance from other Union County communities. In a news release, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park, Union County Board of Freeholders Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Union County Sheriff Joseph P. Cryan and Union County Director of Public Safety Andrew Moran urged residents to take part in the activity.

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The gun buyback program is being coordinated by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. The program also will be conducted at the Antioch Baptist Church, Ferry Avenue, Camden and Friendship Baptist Church, Perry Street, Trenton.

New Jersey residents can turn in up to three firearms of any type, no questions asked, and receive payouts of $100 for a rifle or shotgun, $120 for a handgun or revolver, and $200 for an assault weapon. Police officers and law enforcement firearms experts will be on hand to assist with the valuation and securing of turned-in weapons.

By law all weapons being transported to the gun buyback locations must be carried unloaded and contained in a closed and fastened case, gun box, or securely tied package, and locked in the trunk of the vehicle in which it is being transported.

Since 2013, two law enforcement-run gun buybacks were held in Union County, resulting in the collection of nearly 1,500 firearms.

“We were extremely pleased with the results of our previous events, and we recommend and encourage that any resident of Union County seeking to dispose of a firearm or firearms participate in this program,” Park said in the news release. “One of this office’s top priorities is investigating, prosecuting, and preventing violent crime — and reducing the number of dangerous weapons in Union County neighborhoods is a simple, effective way to work toward that goal.”

Cryan said law enforcement works to take guns off the street and the buyback program is a useful mechanism.

“These are weapons that are out of the picture for good — they’ll never be a factor in an intentional or accidental incident that results in an injury or death — and all of us are a little safer because of it,” he said.

Bergen said tens of thousands of Americans die each year from gun violence, and having fewer guns around could mean they won’t end up in the wrong hands, including children's.

The Attorney General’s Office is funding the gun buyback with forfeiture funds obtained by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the New Jersey State Police, and the Camden, Essex and Mercer county prosecutor's offices. Payouts will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In addition to the gun buyback program, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey William Fitzpatrick and New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino have announced an enhanced commitment to coordinate state and federal efforts to prosecute gun crimes aggressively, with a particular focus on the “Triggerlock” program, under which high-priority gun offenders arrested by municipal police or state authorities are referred for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under federal law. This typically means lengthier prison terms, including potential penalties of 15 years without parole to life for the most serious gun offenses.

“Our joint efforts to take guns off the street — whether it is through the Attorney General’s buyback program or our coordinated prosecution of firearms offenses and violent gangs — demonstrate our shared commitment to use every strategy, investigative technique, and resource to protect the communities we serve,” Fitzpatrick said.

“Gun buybacks provide a vital means for taking deadly firearms out of circulation before they can be used to take a life,” Porrino added. “Some say that weapons turned in during these buybacks are just old ‘attic guns’ — as if that somehow makes them less lethal. Whether we’re talking about a Tec-9 or an old hunting rifle, guns are dangerous. All anyone needs to do is read news stories from across the nation – including New Jersey – to know that guns left lying around the home are a common source of tragedy.”

Anyone with questions about the buyback effort can call the Attorney General’s Citizen Services unit at 609-984-5828.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com

