Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield is holding a Gun Buy Back event on Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church, 4151 Route 130 South in Edgewater Park.
“Every gun we get off the street is one less opportunity for a child to be harmed, an accidental shooting to occur, or a weapon to be stolen and used in a crime,” said Stanfield.
Stanfield was saddened by the news of the 6 year old Toms River boy, who was shot and killed by his four year old friend while they were playing.
“We need to put a stop to tragedies, like the one in Toms River,” said Stanfield. “No parent should lose a child to an accidental shooting,”
In December, Stanfield offered free gun locks to Burlington County residents.
More than 1,700 gun locks were distributed.
Stanfield will have a supply of free gun locks available at the Gun Buy Back on Saturday.
“Gun locks are a simple way of adding a layer of security against gun-related injuries and deaths,” said Stanfield
The program will allow Burlington County residents to voluntarily surrender their firearms in exchange for up to $150 per weapon. Each resident may anonymously turn in up to three guns, with no questions asked.
“Our hope is that this initiative will cause people to weigh their true need to possess a firearm against the opportunity to use the money they receive to benefit themselves or their family,” said Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi.
This program is sponsored by Stanfield, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, and Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi. Community groups such as the Abundant Life Fellowship Church, Stop Drop Your Gun, Inc., and Servicios Latinos de Burlington County, Inc. have assisted in making the event possible.
“We recognize that these buybacks aren’t a singular, one-stop solution to the gun violence problem. However, they are important because, as we all recognize, there are just too many firearms circulating out there and too many innocent people dying or being critically wounded as a result,” said Chiesa.
The county will not be accepting ammunition.
For more information about the Gun Buy Back program, visit the county website at www.co.burlington.nj.us or call (609) 265–5128.
