Attorney General James Takes 196 Guns Off the Streets at Community Gun Buyback in Western New York

AG James Has Taken More Than 1,600 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that 196 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Niagara Falls Police Department. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 1,600 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence is a public health crisis that is endangering communities across the state,” said Attorney General James. “From going after the violent drug rings responsible for this violence, to hosting these gun buybacks statewide, we are doing everything in our power to get guns off our streets and out of dangerous hands. We thank our partners in law enforcement for their invaluable support in this effort and shared commitment to ensuring all New Yorkers are safe.”

Today’s community gun buyback resulted in 196 guns being collected, including 92 handguns, 80 long guns, four assault rifles, and 20 non-working or antique guns. Since 2013, OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected nearly 3,600 firearms.

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

Gun violence is a public health crisis that is plaguing communities throughout New York, and today’s action is the latest action that Attorney General James has taken to combat this crisis and protect New Yorkers from harm. This year alone, Attorney General James has held eight gun buybacks across the state, and within the past two weeks, she has secured 24 guns, including 10 ghost guns, off the streets in takedowns of violent groups terrorizing New York. To date, Attorney General James has taken a total of more than 1,600 guns out of communities since 2019.