Legislation to create a statewide gun buyback program to cut back on the number of firearms out in communities throughout the state was released Monday by an Assembly panel. The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex/Morris), Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) and Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington).
“Gun violence claims lives everyday. In some communities, it is an-all too common reality,” said McKeon. “We realize a gun buyback program alone will not eliminate gun violence, but it can help enhance public safety by reducing the number of firearms in circulation.”
The bill (A-2895) would require the Attorney General to establish a statewide gun buyback program that would allow New Jersey citizens to voluntarily and anonymously surrender firearms and weapons in their possession in exchange for a monetary reward. The form of the reward, such as cash or debit card, would be determined by the Attorney General.
“A gun in the hands of a violent or disturbed individual is a bad combination,” said Prieto. “This can help keep guns from falling into the wrong hands by creating a controlled environment where individuals looking to get rid of their weapons can do so safely and anonymously.”
“A gun buyback program is not the be-all and end-all solution to gun violence, but it can help make a dent by giving people the option to safely discard their weapons,” said Greenwald. “Anything we can do to reduce the number of guns in our communities is a worthwhile pursuit.”
Under the gun buyback program established in the bill, the Attorney General would be required to hold at least nine gun buyback programs a year throughout the state. At least three each would be held in the northern region, central region, and southern region of the state, and at least one program in each region would be held in an urban area with a high crime rate. The Attorney General would have to get the crime rates of the various towns by consulting the most recent issue of the Uniform Crime Report, which is published by the Department of Law and Public Safety.
The bill directs the Attorney General to partner with local law enforcement agencies and community organizations in coordinating gun buyback events when possible.
The gun buyback program would be funded by: forfeiture funds received by the Attorney General as instrumentalities of crime; private donations from corporations, small businesses, and individuals; and any other monies that may become available to the Attorney General.
The Attorney General’s Office launched a gun buyback initiative in 2012. To date, a total of ten buybacks conducted across New Jersey have recovered a total of 15,958 firearms, including more than 7,300 handguns and nearly 1,900 illegal guns.
The bill was released by the Assembly Judiciary Committee. [TLS]
After what happened in China subway attack they should start a knife buy back program as well
I think we need a swimming pool buy back program after all alot more people die from pools than by guns. Stupid liberals!
Swimming pools are for recreation and most people learn to swim. Guns are not Most guns are used for no good !!!
#3 quite ignorant you are, 99.999 guns “are” used for good, to save lives. guns are used for recreation i have many of them and thats what i use it for and to save my life if need be.
The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun!!
These Liberals don’t understand this and keep trying to take the guns away from the good guys. How about these Liberals find a way to get the guns away from the gangbangers that would accomplish something.
Another way to stop bad guy with a gun is not let him have a gun in the first place.
We need to start limiting access and available. It may take a hundred years but it will be time well worth spent.
to #5 enough
If you are a good guy & only using your gun for the right thing then you do not need to hand in your gun in exchange for money, & I suggest you hold onto it to help save more lives in the future.
Its only for terrorists & gang members etc… that use them in the wrong way
@#6:
“Another way to stop bad guy with a gun is not let him have a gun in the first place.
We need to start limiting access and available. It may take a hundred years but it will be time well worth spent.”
With over 300 million guns in the US the only way to limit access and availability would be to confiscate them from the general public. Most guns will still be working a hundred years from now.
To confiscate firearms from the general population, means we’re shredding the Second Amendment. An Amendment that in all likelihood has made America the stable republic it is, still democratic over two hundred years later.
Assuming that means little to you and you’re willing to trade away the Amendment for supposed safety. What you’re really trading away is the greatest force equalizer civilization has known. A civilization without firearms reverts back to the jungle, where the young hooligans can run roughshod over the rest of us.
Currently, firearms prevent and stop more crimes then people killed by guns every year. This is just private citizens, without including police or security. You would have us lose this equalizer and place the 60 year old woman in a wheelchair at the mercy of the 18 year old drug addict who broke into her apartment.
And who do you suppose will give up their guns? The law abiding citizen, not the criminal. So confiscation would have the effect of disarming the very people you aren’t, or shouldn’t be, worried about, while leaving armed and dangerous the very groups you should fear.
Disarming US citizens will still leave the few demented people bent on mass killings capable of doing so. Bombs and knives still work.
In short you trade away essential liberties, condemn us to the jungle, leave the criminal class armed, all to try to stop some few mass murders that will still be committed, unfortunately, just more likely by using bombs like Oklahoma City instead.
You’re insane.