NJ hosts a county-wide gun surrender event for community safety

🔴 Union County is hosting a gun surrender event next month

🔴 All 21 law enforcement municipalities are participating

🔴 It's anonymous with no questions asked

To help reduce gun violence and enhance community safety, every law enforcement agency in Union County will host gun surrender events on Saturday, Oct. 5.

What is the event?

The goal is to provide a safe and anonymous opportunity for people to dispose of unwanted firearms, regardless of condition, ammunition, and prescription drugs.

This is not a buyback event. It’s a surrender, meaning no money will change hands, said Union County First Assistant Prosecutor James Tansey.

The idea is to remove guns from homes and businesses whose owners don’t want them anymore but don’t know a safe way to get rid of them, Tansey said.

“We’ve done this in the past, and we’ve found that this is a very successful way for people to surrender those guns. It’s also a way to keep those guns from ever getting into the street, or a bad situation,” Tansey said.

Why is the event special?

This year’s gun surrender is unique because it’s believed for the first time in state history that an entire county is involved.

Tansey said 100% of all 21 municipalities are involved in this surrender. Some smaller towns are joining forces, so all in all, 18 locations will be accepting firearms, ammunition, and prescription drugs on Sunday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What happens to the surrendered weapons?

All surrendered firearms, ammunition, and prescription drugs will be properly destroyed per federal and state laws, Tansey said.

The only exceptions are firearms with historical value. Tansey said a few years ago they received a World War I rifle that was an antique, and a collectible. Those are turned over to the firearms museum administered by the National Guard. Otherwise, everything is melted down.

What is the hope for the future?

“By providing a safe and anonymous way for residents to dispose of unwanted firearms, we hope to reduce gun violence and prevent tragedies,” said Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel.

He hopes these gun surrender events will allow the community to meet with law enforcement police departments to get guns off the streets and out of the homes.

“This is a collaborative effort between the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and each and every police department in Union County. Without the 100% buy-in of all these police departments, we would not have this county-wide gun surrender in each and every community in our county,” Daniel said.

This is an excellent example of the commitment of the municipal police departments, together with the county police and the Union County Sheriff’s Department to provide this public service to the community, and hopefully make communities safer, Daniel added.

“The Union County Board of County Commissioners is supporting this 100%. They’ve supported us in many different law enforcement initiatives throughout the county, community-related, and they are proud to do this,” Daniel said. He also expressed his thanks to the Union County Police Chiefs Association for their support. “We are nothing without our team players,” he added.

Safety Measures

At every surrender site, there will be firearms instructors and range masters who will safely disable the weapons. Later, they will picked up by the county police and destroyed.

Will anyone be in trouble?

No. This is a full immunity event, Tansey said. That means people can anonymously drop off guns, ammunition, and prescription drugs with no questions asked. There will be no arrests. There will be no prosecutions. All the county is interested in doing is getting the guns out of the community and off the streets.

Is the county-wide event only for county residents?

No. While all 21 Union County municipalities are hosting 18 location gun surrender events on Oct. 5, it’s not just for county residents. Daniel said anyone is welcome throughout New Jersey and out of state to show up and participate.

Locations Participating in the Union County Surrender Event

•  Berkeley Heights            Town Hall; 29 Park Ave.
• Clark/Westfield                Holy Trinity Church; 512 Westfield Ave., Westfield
•  Cranford Public              Works Roadhouse; 364 E. North Ave.
•  Elizabeth                     Snyder Academy; 42 Broad St.
•  Fanwood/Scotch Plains  St. Bartholomew’s Church; 2023 Westfield Ave., Scotch   Plains
• Garwood                        Borough Hall; 304 South Ave.
• Hillside                       First Baptist Church of Hillside; 166 Hillside Ave.
• Kenilworth                     VFW; 33 S. 21st St
•  Linden/Winfield               Gregorio Center; 330 Helen St.
•  Mountainside                  Mountainside Police Headquarters; 1385 Route 22
•  New Providence                American Legion; 357 Elkwood Ave.(10 a.m. to 1 p.m. only; not accepting prescription drugs)
•  Plainfield                    Shiloh Baptist Church; 515 W. 4th St.
• Rahway                         Holy Trinity Orthodox Church; 830 Jefferson Ave.
• Roselle                        Chestnut Street Community Church; 303 Chestnut St.
• Roselle Park                  Church of Assumption Hall; 345 W. Westfield Ave.
• Springfield                  Calvary Assembly of God; 242 Shunpike Rd.
• Summit                        Summit Police Headquarters; 512 Springfield Ave.
• Union                        Union Police Headquarters; 981 Caldwell Ave.

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