Gun Buyback Program Coming to Cumberland County

New Jersey is sponsoring another gun buyback program in hopes of reducing gun violence by taking firearms out of circulation.

The gun buyback program for Cumberland County residents will be held at three churches on June 7 and 8.

“So far this statewide buyback initiative has taken in more than 10,000 guns, the vast majority of them operable and capable of ending a life, at no cost to New Jersey taxpayers,” said Chiesa. “I urge the residents of Cumberland County to join us in making our communities safer by coming out the first weekend in June and selling back their unwanted firearms.”

The three host locations for the gun buyback include the Word of Life Christian Worship Center in Vineland, the Cornerstone Community Church in Millville and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Bridgeton.

Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on June 7 and 8, Cumberland County residents can turn in up to three firearms “no questions asked” at any of the church locations and receive cash payment of up to $250 per weapon, depending on the type of gun and its condition.

Police officers will be stationed at the churches to collect and secure the guns. The Attorney General’s Office is paying for the buyback with forfeiture funds obtained by its Division of Criminal Justice. The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office is also contributing forfeiture monies.

As a result of the six previous buybacks roughly 5,000 handguns have been collected, along with 1,200 illegal guns, firearms with unlawfully high magazine capacities, or weapons that have been sawed-off or otherwise modified.

“We are not suggesting that buybacks are a single, stand-alone answer to society’s complex gun violence problem, but this much is irrefutable: a gun that no longer exists can’t ever be used to kill or main someone,” explained Chiesa. “It’s that simple and we’re pleased to see that, as we travel around the state, many New Jersey residents are embracing this common-sense line of thought and turning in their firearms.”