By S.P. Sullivan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

There were nearly 5,000 weapons stacked high on rows of tables and jutting out of barrels inside the Newark Police Communication Center, where state and federal authorities announced the results of New Jersey's largest gun buyback in state history.

The amnesty program held at churches in Newark, Trenton and Camden allowed residents to carry in firearms no-questions-asked.

Here’s what they brought.

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(S.P. Sullivan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

4,775 GUNS

State officials said they paid out $481,620 for 4,775 weapons over two days, paying between $100 and $200 per weapon for everything from vintage handguns to semiautomatic weapons.

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4,775 guns collected in the statewide #njgunbuyback are displayed today at a press conference in Newark. pic.twitter.com/mWwsPM98YG — AG Gurbir Grewal (@NewJerseyOAG) August 2, 2017

State Attorney General Christopher Porrino and acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick announced the results of the program during an afternoon press conference at the Newark Police Communication Center, where thousands of individually tagged guns sat stacked high on tables and clustered in large garbage cans.

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HANDGUNS AND REVOLVERS

New Jerseyans turned in 1,973 handguns and revolvers, ranging from 9mm Glock pistols to rusted antique six-shooters.

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SHOTGUNS

Authorities collected 1,142 shotguns, including family heirlooms meant for duck hunts and sawed-off 12-gauges that looked like props from a mobster movie.

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RIFLES

Long guns abounded at the buybacks, and the Attorney General’s Office says it collected 1,025 rifles.

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SEMI-AUTOMATIC AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS

“Assault weapons” is a loaded term, but authorities say the buybacks brought in 129 semi-automatic and automatic weapons, some of which were illegal in New Jersey.

“Many of those weapons are designed to pierce body armor, and getting just one of them off the street is a tremendous value,” state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said.

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...AND THESE GUNS

The remaining 506 were a collection of misfit weapons, including crude, homemade firearms, flare guns, realistic-looking BB guns and antiques like the one pictured above, a pistol less than three inches long.

All of the guns will be melted down this week. Porrino said because state officials offer amnesty to encourage people to turn in guns, they won't be tested at a ballistics lab the way most crime guns are examined.

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DO GUN BUYBACKS WORK?

Buybacks have become increasingly popular in recent years, though experts doubt their effectiveness at curbing gun violence. Researchers say they mostly draw "attic guns" — firearms turned in by people who simply had them stored in their homes and wanted to get rid of them.

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CRACKING DOWN ON GUN CRIMES

Authorities said the buyback is part of a broader effort to stem gun violence in the Garden State.

In May, Porrino and Fitzpatrick announced they would share cases through a program known as Triggerlock, which allows local and state authorities to hand prosecution for gun crimes to the U.S. Attorney's office. Penalties are stiffer for gun crimes under federal law.

To date, 19 state cases have been referred to federal law enforcement through the program, authorities said.

At the state level, Porrino earlier this year directed prosectors across the state to automatically request detention for people accused of serious gun crimes under New Jersey's new bail system, which took effect in January.

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S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have information about this story or something else we should be covering? Tell us. nj.com/tips