Gun advocate blasts Brick police request to turn in unwanted firearms

BRICK - A gun rights advocate is blasting the Brick police's volunteer gun surrender plan as being "blind" to the fact that guns are used defensively by law-abiding citizens and he claims guns turned over to local authorities can end up in the personal collections of some police officers.

The backlash was sparked by the Brick Police Department's request this week to turn in unwanted firearms at an event next month. The police and Ocean County Prosecutor's office said the voluntary surrender is a prudent way to keep unwanted weapons out of the hands of children and prevent them from being stolen by criminals.

The surrender program "is government saying guns are evil, they have no use in society, so just turn them in," said Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, which is affiliated with the National Rifle Association. "This is insidious because it's trying to convince people that they're at risk for the mere possession of a firearm."

The Brick Police stressed in social media posts that this is "not a gun buyback, 'no questions asked'" event. They're working with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office to promote the May 5 event.

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Unlike other government-sponsored buyback programs, Brick Police are requiring identification to drop off a gun.

"It's just giving people a convenient way to get rid of guns that may have been left to them from deceased loved ones, or really anyone who has somehow left them a weapon," Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Al Della Fave said. "It's just a service for the public."

Any local police department will accept unwanted firearms, Della Fave said, but not many people know it's an option.

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Bach said his organization doesn't advocate for or against buyback programs because they don't affect gun rights, but he said he hasn't heard of a gun turn-in program that doesn't involve a cash transaction and that requires identification.

"For people who inherit firearms and don't want them, there are people who buy firearms for investment," Bach said. "You can go to a licensed dealer and follow the law and not squander your inheritance."

Brick Police Capt. Dave Forrester said this is the first time the department has offered such a program. Mayor John G. Ducey said some council members inquired about a gun turn-in program, but the police chief already had something in the works.

Della Fave said no other departments in Ocean County have plans for similar turn-in events.

"A gun that is turned in can never be stolen in a burglary and used later in a violent crime, and it can never fall into the hands of a curious child and cause the death of that child, a friend or some other innocent person," the department wrote on its Facebook post advertising the event.

Gun buybacks in NJ

Last October, Asbury Park and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office hosted a gun buyback event. The county doled out about $7,000 in exchange for 120 guns. At the 2016 event, about 195 weapons were turned in.

Monmouth County's gun buyback program is different — it allows people to give up weapons without giving their identity or having to explain how they came into possession of the guns. The Brick turn-in program will require individuals to show identification.

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Between 2012 and 2016, the state collected around 16,000 guns through 10 buybacks, according to statistics from the New Jersey Assembly majority office.

Legislation requiring the attorney general to start an annual statewide gun buyback program was introduced in the Assembly and state Senate in January, and have since been referred to committees.

The legislation, Assembly No. 1216 and Senate No. 1573, would require at least nine buyback sessions in a year: three in northern New Jersey, three in central and three in southern New Jersey.

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What happens to the guns?

Serial numbers on guns will be checked to see if there's any kind of issue with the history of the weapon — or if they're linked to any crimes — and will then be destroyed, Della Fave said.

Bach, who is former law enforcement officer, said guns turned into police can end up in an officer's personal collection.

"It's kind of a dirty little secret," he said. "A lot of people in law enforcement are firearms buffs, and they'll save something from being crushed or melted down."

The gun turn-in event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Brick Police Department, 401 Chambers Bridge Road. The department is asking that guns be brought in unloaded and contained in a closed, fastened case, gun box or securely tied package and locked in the trunk during transit.

Kala Kachmar: @NewsQuip; 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com.