Atlantic County's gun buyback program nets more than 2,000 guns.

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County residents turned in a total of 2,061 guns during the two-day buyback held in Pleasantville and Atlantic City.  The total includes 14 assault weapons and more than 1,000 handguns.

“It’s a credit to the residents of Atlantic County that we took so many lethal weapons off the street this past weekend,” said State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa.  “Through their strong desire to have safer neighborhoods, we got more than 2,000 guns out of circulation. Those guns can never be stolen in a burglary and then used in a street crime. They’ll never be used to terrorize an innocent person, turn an argument into a tragedy, kill a curious child, or claim the life of one of our brave police officers. ”

The number of guns obtained in Atlantic County brings to 9,153 the total number of firearms collected so far as a result of five state-led gun buybacks.

Chiesa acknowledged that gun buybacks alone can’t solve the complex and multi-faceted problem of gun violence, but he called them a crucial element of a broader strategy aimed at reducing shooting deaths and injuries in New Jersey.

“There is no question that buybacks are part of the overall solution. And we believe they’re making a real difference throughout our state, particularly in light of the hundreds of illegal guns we’ve been able to take out of circulation,” the Attorney General said, referring to guns that are unlawful to own either because they feature excessively high magazine capacities, have been sawed-off, or have been modified in other ways.

(The State Attorney General's Office contributed to this report.)

 

 

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