Camden County Police collected over 2,000 guns in conjunction with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Attorney General’s Office.
Camden County’s latest effort to get guns off the street was its most successful to date. At last week’s gun buyback program, Camden County Police collected over 2,000 guns in conjunction with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Attorney General’s Office. The 2,174 firearms collected nearly doubled the total from the county’s 2012 buyback initiative.
Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr., said the buyback took guns off the street which may have led to injuries and death had they stayed in others’ homes.
“Many of the people we spoke to throughout the weekend said that they were just looking for a safe way to get rid of their old guns so that they never ended up in the wrong hands,” Cappelli said. “We can help people avoid accidental shootings, suicides, and other kinds of gun violence by giving them a way to get these weapons out of their home. Even if only one of these guns would have ever been used to commit to a crime, or to inflict harm, then it was worth buying back all 2,000 to keep that from happening.”
State forfeiture funds were used to pay for the exchanges, and gun owners were compensated a total of $220,000 for their pistols, shotguns and rifles over the two-day period. The entire endeavor was undergone with a “no questions asked” philosophy. Owners could trade in up to three guns without any questions about how they got them or where they came from. Gun owners were given $200 for assault weapons; $120 for handguns and $100 for rifles or shotguns.
The county’s last buyback program in 2012 collected just over 1,000 guns and paid out approximately $156,000. At the time, the 2012 buyback was considered the largest in state history. This year’s numbers represent the culmination of another effort by participants from across the state and set new records for the county.
“Our goal is to keep growing this initiative and to continue serving as an example for the rest of the state about how to work with the community and get guns off the streets at no cost to our taxpayers,” Cappelli said. “All of the guns collected over Friday and Saturday are going to be taken and melted down so that they never end up back in somebody’s hands, so that they never lead to anyone being hurt.”
For more information about the buyback, and other community outreach initiatives, visitwww.camdencountypd.org.
