Attorney General James Announces 60 Guns Turned in at Kingston Gun Buyback

 

First OAG Gun Buyback This Year AG James Has Taken More Than 2,700 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that 60 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office, the Kingston Police Department, and the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. Today’s event — which marks the first OAG gun buyback this year — is a part of Attorney General James’ initiative to vigorously combat gun violence and protect New Yorkers throughout the state. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 2,700 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence is one of the biggest public health crises we face, and it continues to endanger our communities,” said Attorney General James. “Gun buybacks, such as the one we hosted today, are a critical part of our efforts to combat this violence and save lives. Every gun that is turned in today is one less weapon that can be of harm to anyone, and I thank our partners in law enforcement for their invaluable support and collaboration in keeping our residents safe.”

Today’s community gun buyback resulted in the collection of 60 guns, including 26 long guns, 20 handguns, six assault rifles, and eight non-working guns. Since 2013, the OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected more than 4,700 firearms. To date, Attorney General James has taken a total of more than 2,700 guns out of communities since 2019.

In exchange for the firearms, OAG offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.